A Small Smile
by bbookworm9.0
Summary: Rey knows how she feels about a certain pilot but does not have the courage to tell him. Does he feel the same? or will a never ending war get in between the two? This is somewhat a slow burn story. Rated M just to be safe.
1. A small smile

A Small Smile

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Disclaimer! I do not own star wars or anything to do with it.

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"Ouch! Chewy give me a little space please?" Rey was trying to fix the dejarik holochess table for Chewy when the big guy got a little too excited and pushed her out of the way, causing her to land not so gracefully on the her side with a thud.

The lovable wookie roared his apologizes and helped Rey back to her feet. "I know you didn't mean it, just be careful next time." She gave him a smile and moved to put her tools away. He gave her another rolling growl. "We both know that Finn and Poe can't beat you on their own. That's why they work together. Even then you still beat them anyway, take it as a complement."

He waved a hairy arm and turned on the chessboard. Rey put the last remaining scraps from her most recent "fix it" project away in a bin nearby and started to walk towards the bunks. She had been working all day trying to get as many repairs around the ship done before they arrived at the resistance base. The pair had been sent to gather some information on Takodana, but due to a very persistent Maz they had stayed longer than they had planned to. Six days longer to be exact.

She couldn't wait to get back to the base to see her friends. She was just starting to bond with Rose before Leia had sent her and Chewy on the mission to gather Intel. They had this thing where they stayed up all night talking about replacing parts on the millennium falcon and reconstructing a new engine for a speeder the two young women had found; Rose had called it a "Girls night". She had also wanted to catch up with Finn, they hadn't seen each other in a while and she was really missing his company. They briefly talked before she had left but didn't last any longer than a few minutes.

She opened the door and shuffled to bunk closest to her. Grabbing her side she laid down wincing as she took a deep breath. Rey could tell that the pain in her side was not from Chewy. Part of the reason they had stayed longer than planned was because they might have gotten into a not so small altercation with some bounty hunters looking for what they called a "pretty little Jedi head". Mid fight she got pushed into someone who had way too much alcohol and was holding a broken beer bottle. It had gone in pretty deep but Maz was able to fix her right up. The wound probably reopened when she fell on it.

Rey could already hear Poe telling her that she needs to be more careful. Poe. He was the one she wanted to see most. Ever since their first meeting she felt this spark. Every time Poe would brush her arm or walked a little to close she had the urge to press their lips together and run her fingers through his hair.

She could feel her face warming up and instantly put her cool fingers on her cheeks, hoping that the warmth would go away. Failing to switch her thoughts to something else, Rey breathed out a sigh. She could really use some sleep before they get to the base. Leia will want to talk to her right away about the information and considering that she really hasn't been able to sleep much the past week, it will be very hard for her to stay awake during the briefing. Rolling onto her good side and closing her eyes she successfully manages to push a certain pilot out of her thoughts long enough to slip into a somewhat tranquil sleep.


	2. The Gift That Keeps Giving

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

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Disclaimer! I don't own star wars or any of it content!

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Rey awoke to Chewy frantically roaring and running past the bunks. Not missing a beat she jumped up and followed him into the cockpit. "Great, the First Order found us." Rey grumbled. From what her companion was trying to tell her those bounty hunters must have snuck a tracker on the falcon at some point during their brawl on Takodana.

"Looks like we won't be home in time for dinner Chewy!"

A string of growls is all the reply the young Jedi received. They still had a few hours until they were at the base, but the pair knew that they couldn't go any closer to their destination until they were able to lose the First Order. Taking another hit, Rey motions the wookie to take full control and runs to one of the gunners. Putting on a communication head set and aiming at the attacking space craft, she starts wishing that were more bodies on board to help out.

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Leia was starting to worry about Rey and Chewbacca. They were supposed to be back at the base a week ago and now this. She had gotten a short transmission from the young girl saying that they had gotten into an altercation and had to wait a little while before coming back. The moment she saw the millennium falcon depart the hanger she had a wave of worry wash over her. The mission was too important to call them back in over a feeling, even though.

Letting out a sigh Leia turned towards the approaching footsteps of the two young men she had called for. They were talking about trivial things and laughing about something that she really wasn't interested in asking about. When they reached her their talking ceased and their features instantly became straight faced.

"I'm glad you two could finally make it. Poe, Finn, there has been a complication with the Millennium falcon's return."

Poe's body stilled. Finn was the first one to speak. "Are they okay? What is the complication?" Finn could feel the anticipation coming off of his friend. He knew that the pilot had feelings for their Jedi friend and he knew that she would return those feelings if Poe would just tell her how he felt.

Eyeing the two, the general responds with a small shake of her head. "I believe that they are fine but they won't be for long unless they get some help soon." She turns away, walking over to the table in the center of the room. "They had a little run in with the First Order. Rey and Chewy tried their best to fend them off but one of their engines blew and they had to make an emergency crash landing. If they had all the parts they need it will take them a while for them to fix it. Unfortunately they do not have all the parts they need. They are being hunted and I'm afraid that they won't make it off the planet unless we sent help."

Joining their general around the table Poe's brows furrowed. "What do you want us to do?" Finn leaned forward and clamped his hand together and rested his chin on them. "Yeah, you didn't call us here just to tell us that our friends are goners. What can we do to help?" Finn said following up Poe's question.

"I need you to find them and bring them the parts that they are going to need." Leia raises a thin eye brow. "Time is of the essence boys, you better hurry before I send someone else instead." With that warning the two jumped up and headed to the door before being stopped. "Please bring them home safe."

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"Is that everything?" Poe asks his friend. Finn nods his head and jumps into the seat behind him. "Yup that's it; I just hope we get there before anyone else does. What planet did they land on anyway?"

Lifting the x-wing into the air and giving BB-8 a thumb up, he responds. "Hoth, Hope you brought your coat."

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"I know Chewy, but you have to remember! Leia said that there is an old rebel alliance base somewhere near these coordinates. She said that you were there and that you would know where to go!" Rey was at her wits end. The millennium falcon just basically got shot out of the sky and crash landed on a planet that was so cold that she instantly wished she was back on Jakku.

Leia told her that help was on the way but she needed to find the old rebel alliance base to see if she could find anything that could help them in the meantime. The coordinates she gave them wasn't too far away but everything was buried in snow and Chewy, who had actually been there before, forgot where it was. His reasoning was that it happened so long ago that it was as if he was a different person.

That's how the two ended up in the middle of nowhere looking for any remains of life. So far there was nothing. No animals, no humans. She could see why. Even if someone tried and wanted to live on this ball of snow and ice there was no way that they would make it a week without freezing to death.

Chewy made a rolling roar and kicked a large mound, resulting in a wall of snow to fall down revealing a metal door. "Way to go Chewbacca! Now we just have to figure out how to get the doors open." Pressing her hands together to regain some warmth in her fingers, she searches for a keypad of some kind. The only coat she could find wasn't really suitable for this weather but it was better than nothing. She needed to get out of the cold and warm up before she starts to lose her digits.

Brushing away the snow around the edges of the doors some buttons appear. "I don't think these are going to work, they are completely frozen. Do you mind?" Rey backs away from her companion and let him shoot the panel with his blaster. It takes a minute but the doors start to crack the thick layer of ice that covers them and rumbles open with a low grinding sound. "You know they really should have invested a little more time into their security system. Not like it matters now but that was way too easy." With an agreeing nod the two start there scavenging of the remains of the old base.

They were able to find some parts but not enough to get everything fixed. Rey also discovered a small heater that, with a little tweaking, started up like new. Deeming that it was warm enough to take off her coat long enough to check out her side, she reached for some bandages that were left in the medical bay. It doesn't look like it will leave a permanent scar. She was getting really tired of it reopening. Once she got back to the resistance base the first thing that she is going to do is march her butt to the medical bay and insist that they fix her right up.

A tall figure walked slouched its way into the room. "Chewy are we ready to go? This place is starting to give me an unsettling feeling." Not looking up, Rey waited for a retort of some kind but it never came. "Chewy? Chewy since when are you at a loss for wor-." The rest of her sentence got stuck in her throat when she looked up and didn't see her favorite wookie. Instead she found a very tall wampa. "Chewy!"

Rey reached for her lightsaber but wasn't fast enough and got flung against a nearby wall. _I can't catch a break, can I?_ She thought as she stood up gathering all her strength she could and launching herself at the white beast.

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Its been a while since I written anything so please leave a review and tell me what you guys think of it. :)


	3. An Awkward Reunion

An Awkward Reunion

Disclaimer! I do not own star wars or any of their properties!

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"Do you see them anywhere?" Poe asked scouting the landscape. Finn looked over at Poe with an arched Eye brow. "You expect me to see anything other than snow?" They had found the Millennium falcon but her crew where nowhere to be found. General Organa had told them that she was sending them to the old rebel base to see if they could find anything to scavenge for parts. Finn suggested that they stay there and wait for friends to come back but Poe insisted that they find Rey and make sure that she was safe.

"Come on, Rey needs us. She is counting on us to get her these parts." Poe stated, taking a few strides towards a promising direction.

Finn followed. "What about Chewy, aren't you worried about him too?" That caught Poe's attention. He felt a little offended that Finn would suggest that Poe didn't care about the wellbeing of their resident wookie.

"Of course, Chewy too, we have to make sure he is okay as well." Finn rolled his eyes and turned slightly to his buddy.

Finn lets out a little chuckle, knowing that this wasn't going anywhere without a push. "Just tell her how you feel already. What harm will it do?"

Poe was about to respond but something in the distance caught his eye. "We can talk about this later. I think I see the base." He said relieved to get out of the conversation about the scavenger. Poe had told Finn about his first encounter with the young woman. The way Finn had acted around her made Poe feel like he wasn't the only one whose heart was stolen by the young Jedi. After some talking Finn had assured him that she really wasn't into him and he was starting to like someone else.

They started to approach the wide open doors. Looking at each other and then cautiously entering the man made cavern, a loud grunt was heard. A struggle was happening in the next room over. Poe ran to see what was going on but as soon as he reached the door he was hit with something really hard in the chest causing him to fall backwards. "Poe? What are you doing here?" He froze slightly when he realized that the thing that crashed into him was none other than the object of his affection. Somehow in the kerfuffle he had managed to grab Rey's butt and his hand was still chilling there. Not that he minded but the look on her face said that she very much did. Removing his hand as quickly had he could and helping Rey to her feet, he remembered that they were not the only ones there. Finn stood there witnessing all the awkwardness go down.

"Finn and I came with the parts you needed." Poe glanced down at her hand seeing that she had her lightsaber in her hand. "What's going on here sunshine?" Rey felt herself blush at the nickname.

"A wampa found its way into the base and attacked us." She stated while jogging back through the door way from which she was just thrown out of. "We have to get Chewy, we got separated while looking for parts and I don't know where he is." She looked back at Poe with a smile that made him melt. "I am really glad that you are here."

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"I'm sorry! I didn't know that you were in here. If you haven't noticed we are being stalked by a one armed abominable snowman Chewbacca! Now is not the time to place blame." They had found him after searching several rooms filled with ice and snow. He had managed to make his way into the communication hub. "What do you mean forgot? I did not forget you! I was in the middle of fighting a creature that wanted to eat my face!" When Rey found him, he immediately started accusing her of forgetting him.

"Guys we really have to get going, I don't want to be here when that thing comes back and we still have to get the falcon fixed before the first order comes around." Finn said gathering all the parts that Rey and Chewy had found. Poe nodded in agreement. They really did need to get going. They were wasting precious time.

They made their way through the corpse of the old rebel alliance base and where walking out when out of nowhere Rey was pulled backwards by the white monster. "You guys go; I will meet you there!" She yelled pulling out her lightsaber once more. Finn and Chewy started their trek to the ships but Poe remained hesitant. "Go, I'll be fine! I promise that I will be right behind you!" The wampa had her pinned with his foot crushing her arm that held her saber into the ground. His hand swung at her chest. Rey willed her body to somehow sink into the floor resulting in the tips of the wampa's sharp nails scratching the area right above her breasts. She let out a sharp howl causing Poe to run towards the beast. Pulling out his blaster he started shooting the monster making it lose its balance. This gave Rey just enough slack to slide her arm from under the wampa. Jumping up and gritting her teeth at the sharp pain coming from her chest, she climbed on a nearby junk pile getting high enough to cut off the creature's other arm.

The wampa let out a screech and fell to the ground. Poe took this moment to run over to Rey and helped her stand up right. "What were you saying about being fine?" She narrowed her eyes and put her light saber away and let herself lean on him.

"I had it handled, but thank you for your help." Her chest burned partially because of the small gash in her chest but mainly because of her proximity to the dashing pilot. "I think we need to get back. This is really starting to hurt." Nodding and supporting her up Poe lead them out of the cavern.

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"Hey guys! Chewy is almost done with replacing the parts. He said that if you guys hurry up and help we will be able to leave in a half an hour." Finn said approaching his friends. He noticed that they were really close, basically holding each other. A smile creeped on his face. _Finally, Poe must have told her how he feels._ Finn thought. It wasn't until he got closer and his eyes widened. "Whoa! Rey are you okay? What happened?" She looked like she was on the verge of passing out.

"We need to get her inside now." Poe answered calmly but on the inside he was freaking out. Finn went to her other side and wrapped an arm around her middle right above Poe's. They were able to get her on a bunk and grabbed some bandages. Poe realized that they were going to have to take off her shirt and blushed. He looked over to Finn but the young man had already left, saying something about having to help Chewy with the repairs.

Rey was doing her best to sit up, already peeling off her shirt. The blood was making it stick to her skin. It wasn't until she noticed that Poe was still in the room when she stopped her actions. "_Now is not the time to be embarrassed. It is literally just treating my wound, come on Rey get it together." _Rey thought to herself. She looked down at her hands that were still holding the edges of her shirt.

Poe seemed to sense her internal dilemma because he was instantly in front of her, putting his hands on hers. "I will try to do this as quickly as possible, but we really do need to get it cleaned up as soon as we can." He looked into her eyes, making sure that she understood that there was nothing for her to be embarrassed by. It wouldn't matter to him anyhow. To Poe she was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen. If only he could tell her that, then this wouldn't be so hard for him.

Rey nodded and started to continue with her earlier task. Swallowing a hard lump in his throat, Poe the slashes were deep but not dangerously so. "Okay, I need to get some water, where are the cloths?" Standing up Poe starts to look in random cupboards. He turns back around to see Rey wincing from her movements as she lifts a finger and nods towards a little cabinet in the corner of the room. Pulling out some towels and rags he looks at her. "I'll be right back, don't move okay?"

Just as Poe walked out of the room BB-8 rolls in to check on his friend. He bumps into the side of the cot to get Rey's attention. "Hi BB, sorry I didn't even notice that you were here." She says to him with a slight smile. The little droid let out a series of beeps telling her that it's okay.

Walking back in and setting a bowl of water down on the small table nearby, Poe sits in front of Rey and grabs a cloth from in front of her. "Are you ready?" He questions as he wets the rag.

"I don't really have much of a choice." She tries to give out a little laugh but ends up grimacing at the movement. Rey sits up as straight as she can, slightly pushing out her chest to allow him better access, Looking at the pilots face. Not noticing that in the process she had placed her hand on Poe's thigh. He however did notice and was trying his best not to jump her right then and there.

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"Well it doesn't look to bad, just a lot of blood. BB-8 can you please see if there is any bacta spray?" The droid beeped and left without delay.

"There isn't any. I would have found it already if there was." Rey says, eyes still tracing his features. Poe sighed and then started to bandage her up.

Suddenly he looked up pulling his focus from her wound. "What did you need it for before this?" He asked with a puzzled look.

She pointed down at her side. "I got cut with a broken beer bottle on Takodana."

Leaning in closer and placing a hand on her unscathed hip he turned her a little so he could get a better look at the cut. He was so close that Rey thought she couldn't breathe. She could smell his cologne and noticed how long and full his eye lashes were.

Satisfied with his inspection he looked back up at her face only to realize how close they were. When she didn't pull away, Poe decided that he was going to move in. He was almost about to touch their lips when Finn walked in fallowed by BB-8.

The two jumped apart blushing. Rey suddenly felt cold and quickly grabbed for her shirt. Poe, noticing the flushed faced man at the door way, moved to block his view of the young woman. "Um, we are all set to go. The..um..the…uh.." Finn was at a loss for words.

Poe raised an eyebrow. "What buddy?" He stepped closer.

Snapping out of it Finn replied. "The First Order is here. We have to go before they spot us." With that the ex-Stormtrooper walked/ran back the way he came with BB trailing after him.

Poe stood there for a moment before turning around. At some point Rey had finished bandaging herself up and put back on her shirt. He walked over holding out his hand to help her up. She took his hand and let him pull her up. Once again they were very close and Rey felt words come out of her mouth before she could even think about what she was saying. "Once we get back can we talk?"

"I think that would be best." He stated before leading her out of the suddenly very small bunk room.

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Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did please leave a review


	4. The Misunderstanding

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The Misunderstanding

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Disclaimer! I do not own star wars or any of their properties!

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They had successfully made it back to the resistance base without any First Order ships following them. Chewy immediately started on the repairs growling something about having the proper tools to work with. Finn and Poe's X-wing had landed just as Rey was walking down the ramp of the millennium falcon. Poe had every intention of jumping out of the ship and walking straight to Rey. No. Not walking. Run. He was going to run to her. If that moment before they left was any indication, he was positive that she felt the same way he did and he wanted to talk as soon as they can.

"Unfortunately there are these things called "protocols". Finn and Poe were pulled into one direction as Rey was being pulled into another by Leia. "Don't worry buddy, she will be if the infirmary getting all fixed up. You can go see her right after we get briefed." Finn sent a reassuring look his friend's way noticing the way the pilot was making a longing face at Rey.

"Alright but this better be a quick. I don't know man, I'm certain that she feels the same way. I really just want to talk to her and I feel like the only time that happens is when we are about to get captured or killed."

At that Finn let out a chuckle and clapped Poe on the back. "Yeah I'm one hundred percent positive she feels the same and that you are exaggerating a bit there man."

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Rey had been sent to the medical bay as soon as Leia had seen her bloody clothes. Even though they patched her up the best they could, blood was still oozing through her shirt. Now she was sitting on a bed without a top on, only covered by her bindings once more. The doctor had just applied the bacta spay and now they were just waiting for the remedy to do its job. The curtain was drawn so all she could do was look up at the ceiling for entertainment.

It was twenty minutes later when she heard the chatter of two women on the other side of the certain. It wasn't right to ease drop but she was really board and they were right there. If they wanted to keep it a secret they wouldn't have said anything in public.

"So I asked him out and he said yes!" The First girl squealed.

"No way!" The second girl gasped.

_Great, it's just some dating gossip. I wonder if Rose knows who they are talking about._ emRey thought. She shifted a little closer so she could hear better.

"So how many dates have you gone on?" The second questioned. Rey could hear some shuffling. From the sounds of it one of the girls moved closer.

"We didn't go on any erm "_real" date._ Well if you include Screwing over and over and over again."

_Wow, um maybe I shouldn't be listening to this anymore._

As Rey begin to sit back to her original position the second girl spoke up once more.

"You _FUCKED_ Poe Dameron?!" _Wait,_ _what?_

"He fucked me so hard that I thought at one point he fucked my brains out! Hence the birth control tabs. You would think with all the sex we have, that he was eager to start a family." She stated in a whisper. The two started to giggle and Rey could hear their shoes click away.

Rey didn't know what to say. She wasn't stupid. He was a grown man and had every right to do whatever he wanted with whomever he wanted but she really thought that he felt the same way. If he was dating this girl then what was that on Hoth? No, she would not jump to conclusions. They weren't even together so why was she hurt? If anything that poor girl-. _No Rey! Cut it out. Talk to him first. Yes, confirm and then you can spiral_ _into a hot mess with a broken heart._

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Rey had fallen asleep waiting for her wounds to heal. She woke a few hours later, just in time for the doctor to pull back the certain slightly. Walking in and closing the fabric behind her, the doc gave Rey a smile.

"How are you feeling?" She put her clip board down and walked over to the small counter putting on gloves.

"I actually feel a lot better." And she did. She had finally gotten some rest and her chest didn't burn anymore, and neither did her side.

"Okay Rey, let me get a look at your chest real quick." The doc stood next to the bed in front of the young Jedi. "It seems that the bacta has done its job very well. It's all healed and we have some good news. You won't have any scars. It's as if it never even happened." She gave the girl a smile and took off her gloves. "If you're feeling up to it, you can go but please just take it easy for the next few days and get plenty of rest." With that she was gone, retreating behind the certain and onto the next patient.

Rey was relieved to be getting out of there. All she wanted to do was to curl up on her bed and sleep. She grabbed her discarded shirt and put it on. It was covered in blood but it would have to do until she got back to her room. Rey was almost to the door when she walked into a very hard object.

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"Hey there sunshine. Looks like you are feeling better. But should you really be up and about right now?" Poe's hands reached for her shoulders to steady her from their run in. He wanted to see her sooner but the briefing took longer than he would've liked and by the time it was over Leia had given him a lecture about letting Rey get hurt._Trust me if I had it my way she would never had been scathed in the first place._" Was what he wanted to say to her but decided to give a simple apology and wait for the lecture to end instead.

Rey didn't want to do this right now, at least not here. She had some questions and she wasn't even sure if she should say anything anymore. She knew that she loved him but if he was with someone else and she decided to just confess all it would do is ruin their friendship. Rose had once told her that sometimes the best thing to do is stand back and let things happen.

"Yeah I'm feeling better but the doctor told me to rest for a few days before getting back to work. I was just on my way to my room." Rey could see the concern in his eyes.

"Do you want me to walk you to your room? We can talk on our way?" He waited for her to respond but she looked lost in thought. "Rey?" He tried one more time, meanwhile running one of his hands up and down her arm.

"Sorry, yes. I would like that." She gave him a smile and let him walk her out of the infirmary. "So how did the briefing go?" Rey couldn't bring herself to look at him, instead she focused her eyes on her hands that were clasped in front of her.

Poe didn't seem to notice her purposeful redirection of the conversation and if he did he didn't show it. "General Organa is going to Naboo for supplies and hopefully for people that want to join our cause." He glanced down noting the way she was fiddling with her hands. "She will be leaving in one week and you are going with her." That made the scavenger look up at him. He took a moment to search her eyes.

"Me? She wants me to go with her?" Rey was taken aback by the general decision. She had never been to Naboo. Poe told her how beautiful it was before but she had never thought she would ever get the chance to see it firsthand.

"She said that there were some nice spots to do some Jedi training and she wanted to show you where her mother was from. Don't worry, Finn and I will be going too." He said the last part hoping to curve her nerves about going. It seemed to work because she released a breath that she was holding.

They were almost to her room now and they haven't even tried talking about what they really wanted to talk about yet. Rey looked around to make sure that no one could over hear their conversation. Leaning in a little closer she started to break the silence.

"Poe, can we talk about what is happening between us?" Poe nodded. This was what he was waiting for and he was ready.

"I think that what happened on the Hoth was something that-"

"I know it was a mistake."

"What?" Poe's heart dropped so low it felt like it was in his stomach.Before he could say something she continued to speak.

"I heard that you were dating someone. Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were friends." Rey didn't know why she was coming at him like this. _He is a grown man! He doesn't have to report everything to you. _Rey reasoned with herself.

"Who told you that Rey?" Poe was confused. He knew that he had built up a reputation around the resistance but it was nothing more than flirting. He never saw the harm in the claims so he never corrected them, but now the girl that he wanted to be with was right in front of him saying that what almost happened was a mistake because of those rumors.

"It was two girls in the med bay. One was picking up preventatives for your..erm..activities." Rey was avoiding his stare at this point. She was ready to run away until Poe spoke up again.

"I have to stop this! Rey I am sorry, I will explain everything later but please don't listen to anything that is said around here about my relationships, okay?" They had reached her door and grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly. To soon he let them fall and gave her one last apologetic look before retreating down the corridor.

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Hello everyone! Please leave a review to let me know how I'm doing. Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)


	5. A Refreshing Pace

A Refreshing pace

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Disclaimer! I don't not own star wars or any of its content. If I did there would be Ewoks everywhere.

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Poe had just walked away leaving a speechless Rey behind. She was about to turn around when Rose seemly came out of nowhere. "What was that about?" The maintenance tech came up to Rey with an inquiring brow.

"I'm not really sure at this point. A lot has happened in the last few days." Rey said opening her door and letting Rose follow her in. Rose walked over to her friend and gave her a once over look. Rey was on the verge of crying and she was biting her lip so hard it looked as if she might draw blood.

"Finn said that you got hurt. I was on my way to see how you were doing when I saw you leaving with Poe. I was going to come find you later but I'm glad I didn't." Rey couldn't stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks. "Hey now, don't cry. It's going to be okay. Why don't we have a girl's night? Huh?"

"I really don't feel like talking about mechanic parts right now." Rey sobbed. Her eyes were becoming puffy and swollen.

"What?" Rose internally face palmed but decided that right now was not the right time to correct the poor girl. "Why don't I make us something warm to drink and you can tell me all about your adventure and what is happening with commander Dameron instead?" Rey nodded and began to tell Rose everything.

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A week had passed and Poe had not come to see Rey. Not that she would even let him find her. She avoided him, making excuses when Rose or Finn tried to get her to go to the dining hall with them to eat.

Rose helped Rey understand that some of the women around the base had an infatuation with Poe. They were even known to go as far as lie about going on dates or even having sex with him to make others jealous. Rose explained that unless Poe tells you himself you can't listen to what is being said.

She was mortified. He must think that she was nothing more than a silly girl with insane jealously issues. She was a little jealous. She would be lying if she said she wasn't but she felt hurt more than anything. After finding out that it was all probably just some girl lying to her friend, Rey didn't think she could face him again.

A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. Grabbing her bag that was sitting on her bed, she called out. "I'll be right there!" Today they were leaving for Naboo and Finn was going to walk with her to the millennium falcon. Opening the door, Rey felt her smile slip from her face.

"Where is Finn?" She asked looking both ways down the hall and then finally over the man's shoulder.

Poe had that coming. He should have come to see her sooner. He wanted to tell her about how it was all just a jumble of misunderstandings, lies, and a failure of correcting people. The pilot waited to catch her at a meal or while doing one of her tasks but she never left her room unless she was with Rose, Chewy or General Organa. Finn asked him to pick Rey up and walk with her to the ship for him. He jumped at the chance but now was unsure due to the look Rey was giving him.

"He got caught up doing something for Leia. He asked me to meet you instead. You're…You're not mad are you?" He really didn't know what else to say. How long can she be like this with him. At this point he just wanted to be around her, as much as he wanted more, just being with her as friend was better than nothing.

Realizing was sending him a mean look she instantly turned away. "No. No I am not mad. I just ..I .. um.. are you still going with us to Naboo?"

Rey started walking down the hall, stopping for a few seconds while waiting for Poe to join her. "Yes, it's going to be the general, Chewy, Finn, BB-8, you and me. The smaller the crew the less chance we have of alerting the First Order. Considering that Leia's mother was once the queen and a beloved senator, the people of Naboo are not going to alert anyone. For the most part I think this trip will be a safe one."

They were almost to hangar bay now and Rey was starting to relax with him nearby. Poe slipped his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together and leaning in just a little bit. "I need to talk to you about everything but until we can I just want you to know that you don't have to feel uncomfortable or avoid me. I never want you to feel that way." He leaned closer and kissed her cheek tenderly.

"Guys hurry up! We are leaving in three minutes!" Finn yelled from the ramp as BB-8 came to greet them.

Pulling away from her, Poe let her go and gave her a little space. Rey's face was burned red. She pressed her hands against her cheeks and walked past him following the little droid up the ramp.

Leia greeted them in the main hall. She put a hand on Rey's shoulder and led her to the holochess table. "I am very excited for you to see Naboo. While we are there I have arranged a surprise for you and I know that you will love it." Leia looked down at the characters. "It's been a while since I've been in here, sitting at this table. Han loved playing with Chewbacca. Although he would always let Chewy win. He would say that he didn't want to be torn limb from limb when he lost." A sad smile rested on the older woman's face.

Rey leaned in and gave her master a hug and rested her head on her shoulder. Leia was still hurting after Han's death and Ben descent into the dark side. Luke's death made everything worse. She and Chewy were the only ones left and it broke Rey's heart.

BB-8 came up to Rey, telling her that Chewy needed her in the cockpit. Leia gave her a reassuring nod and patted her leg. "Go." She said. "I will stay back here for our journey."

Rey gave her one last hug and departed.

* * *

Finn was leaving the cockpit as Rey entered. "Reporting for duty sir!" She said standing up straight, saluting.

This earned her a snort and a chuckle from Poe. He turned around in the chair. He was sitting behind her pilot seat. The young man took every opportunity to try flying the millennium falcon but this time he was just content watching Rey take control of the ship.

She took her seat and suddenly everything felt right. Rey loved flying the falcon. It brought her peace that she had never really known besides when she was with a certain charming pilot. Flipping switches and taking a breath, Rey started to lift the space craft into the sky. Her co-pilot roared as they started to leave the planet's atmosphere. "I'm excited too big guy." She agreed putting the craft into hyperspace and jetting off toward their desired destination.

* * *

The trip only took a few hours. Poe seemed to get restless half way through their journey and decided to sit in the lounge area with Finn and general Organa. This left her and Chewy by themselves. Rey enjoyed the time with her friend. He hardly spoke, both enjoying the silence and never once making it uncomfortable.

They just landed and were greeted by the people of Naboo. Leia hugged old friends and started on with conversations as if they had never stopped. Rey had to hand it to her master, Naboo was beautiful. Most of the buildings were covered with vines and foliage. She was getting used to the green planets but the first time seeing a new planet still made her heart full.

"Come now Rey. I have the surprise that I promised you waiting in your chambers." The general grabbed Rey's hand and started following some handmaidens to where they would be staying.

"What about the others?" Rey asked as she turned her head to see Poe watching her walk away. He was staring with such intensity that it made her stomach tighten.

"They will take care of the supplies and meet up with us later. Don't worry, you will see commander Dameron soon, I promise." Rey's eyes widened. "I may be old but I see how you two look at each other. I even have a poll going with Lieutenant Connix." Leia let a giggle past her lips when she caught the look on the young woman's face.

* * *

They were shown to a huge room that was filled with flowers from the ceiling to the floor. It had two open balcony windows that were framed with thin long white curtains. There was a big bed that could fit six people and a fire place on the opposite wall. The colors where pale pinks and blues with small golden flower designs along the frames of the walls and furniture.

Leia walked over to the closet and looked thoughtfully before pointing at something and asking one of the hand maidens to pull it out. She walked back to Rey and smiled warmly.

"Tonight we are attending a ball. They had started it as a celebration to honor my mother after she died and it has now become an annual event." Rey had never been to a ball before. She didn't even know what it was.

"Not to be rude general but what is a ball?" Leia forgot that the scavenger next to her was just that, a scavenger.

"It's okay child. Sometimes I forget about your childhood. A ball is a celebration were we dance and converse with people." The hand maiden signaled to Leia that she was done preparing the items that she retrieved from the closet. "Now I know you don't have anything to wear for the occasion so I-"

"Oh I can just wear this, I don't need anything fancy." The general eyed the girl.

"Rey the point of a ball is to wear something fancy. Now I have the perfect dress for you." She led Rey over to the bed and touched the fabric. "I never met my birth mother. Through the years I was told stories about her bravery and kindness. Along the way I had also acquired some of her things, including her dresses. I am too old to wear these now and I was saving them for my daughter or granddaughter. I thought that day would never come until now." She looked and Rey and placed a hand on the girl's face. Tears were now streaming down both their cheeks but neither of them seemed to notice. "I can't imagine anyone else wearing these. I want you to have them and I want you to wear this to tonight's ball."

* * *

After taking a long bath and being scrubbed down to every inch of her body, Rey was sitting on her bed looking at the beautiful gown before her. Leia had left to get changed herself and them she was going to come back to give her approval. Rey had never worn a dress before. There was never a need to and to wear one on Jakku was just asking for trouble. To say she was nervous was and understatement.

The handmaidens returned to help Rey put on the dress and do her makeup and hair. Rey had slipped on the dress noting how the yellow at the top darkened into a pink hue and then again into a purple. The material along the edges was silk and there were metal arm cuffs holding the dress in place. A metal clasp around her neck kept the top up. It certainly was beautiful but the back had a plunge that reaches just above her butt. She didn't know if she liked that. The dress was very different then what she usually wears. Her clothes were worn out of necessity and were meant to be modest.

A light shade of blush and pale pink eye shadow were applied to Rey's face. Leia choose that moment to come in and stopped in her tracks. "You look beautiful my dear." The hand maid doing Rey's makeup stood and walked over to Leia. The two walked back over to Rey. The maiden joined the other in doing Rey' hair and Leia sat down in front of her and leaned in with a color stick. "I think we are just about ready to head down to the ball room." She put the finishing touches on Rey's lips and leaned down, moving a pair of dancing slippers in front of her.

The hand maidens backed away and left the room, notifying the two that they were all done. Rey stood up and looked in the mirror. She couldn't believe that the woman in the glass was her. Her lips were a light purplish pink color and her hair was curled in loose ringlets with small purple ribbons weaved throughout. She slipped her shoes on and looked at her mother figure.

"Thank you, for everything."

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Hey everyone! Hope you all enjoyed today's chapter. Please leave a review and tell me how I am doing.


	6. Eye of the Beholder

Eye of the Beholder

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Disclaimer! Star Wars is not mine. I do not own anything related to star wars.

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Poe and Finn had finished loading some supplies a few hours ago and were then taken to their rooms. Leia had sent them clothes for the ball and the two were grateful. Finn had never been to one before and was eager to head out. He had been given white pants and a white long sleeve shirt with a collar that reached an inch up his neck. To complete his attire, he was also given a long navy blue jacket with silver buttons on the right side of his chest and a pair of blue boots that go up past his calves.

Poe on the other had something similar style to his normal clothing. He was given black pants and black boots with silver trimming along the sides. The cream colored shirt he wore was paired with a black jacket. Unlike Finn he left it unbuttoned and had his shirt slightly open, revealing a little bit of his chest. He had his hair combed back but some of his thick locks would not be tamed.

The resistance pilot had been to a ball once when he was a young teen. It was a celebration for a major battle that was won when his parents fought along Luke Skywalker. He found it to be boring and the girls were practically throwing themselves at him. None of that has changed though, except this time there was Rey. When Leia had told him about the celebration he jumped at the opportunity.

He had made his mind up. Poe was going to tell the young woman how he felt and he was going to do it tonight. Finn and Poe had just arrived at the ball room and where waiting for their friend.

Finn was stuffing his face full of delicious food when he spotted her. Rey was walking down the entrance stairs with Leia when she caught Finn staring at her. She gave him a smile and some of the fish appetizer he was chewing escaped from the corners of him mouth. With one hand he grabbed a napkin and spit out the contents in his mouth. His other hand immediately shot out to grab Poe's sleeve.

Poe turned around to ask him what he wanted when he saw the direction Finn was gawking in. The moment his eyes landed her everything else faded away. He stepped forward, meeting her and the general in the middle of the dance floor. Forgetting what he was going to say, he just stood there staring at her for a good twenty seconds. It wasn't until Rey reached out for him and asked him if he was okay when he snapped out of it. "You look beautiful. Not that you don't look beautiful all the time, because you are beautiful every day, but today you look more beautiful than anyone I have ever seen. I just wanted to say I think you lo-"He stopped his rambling noticing that Rey was smiling ear to ear and that General Organa was snickering at him, placing a hand over his shoulder.

"Now would be a great time to ask her to dance." She said giving him a wink. "Now if you will excuse me Rey, I hear some of that Naboo fruit salad calling my name." Not wasting another moment she was gone.

The two that were left behind blushed profusely. Poe held of a hand and looked her in the eyes. "Can I have this dance?"

"Of course." She said placing her hand in his. He moved his other hand to her lower back and enjoyed the feeling of her bare skin under his fingertips. Rey had put her other hand on his shoulder and they began to dance. She fumbled a little bit and stepped on his feet once or twice but he didn't care.

"Sorry, I have never danced before." Rey said feeling more confident in her steps.

"For someone who has never done it before, you are doing very well." He would definitely have a few bruised toes tomorrow but it was worth it to be this close to her, touching her and holding her. They had somehow managed to dance to the outside balcony. When the two noticed where they were they stopped dancing but didn't let go of each other.

Rey looked out at the night sky and then down below at the gardens. "You were right, Naboo is absolutely beautiful." She reached out and touched the stone railing. Poe looked around but his gaze landed on her.

She looked over at him and smiled. He placed his free hand on top of hers on the rail. "I do believe this is the part where I say something like "You are absolutely beautiful." And as cheesy as it is, it would be one hundred percent true." Rey cheeks burned at that and she tilted her head downward. Poe wasn't having any of that. He uncovered her hand and lifted her chin. Once she was looking at him, he ran his fingers along her jaw and ended up cupping her cheek.

"What are we doing?" Rey says just above a whisper. Poe doesn't know where to start but decides that all he really wants to do in this moment is to kiss her. She puts her hand on his chest and leans in while her other hand snakes around his neck and into his hair. Their noses are touching and the tension is boiling over. Poe closes the gap and claims her lips in a slow passionate kiss. Both of their eyes are closed and Rey can feel blood rushing in her ears. After a few moments they pull apart and rest their foreheads against each other.

Poe opens his eyes and decides that now is the time to tell her the truth.

"I have never actually dated anyone before." Rey's eyes open and she leaned back to give him a questioning look. "The woman that was telling people that I was dating her and having sex with her was lying. I have never dated her and I have no interest in her." He searched her eyes for some kind of response. It took her a few moments to process what he was telling her.

"Okay but why would she tell people that?"

"There are rumors about me that make me desirable apparently. I never corrected them because I didn't care. Rumors are rumors and they never stopped me from doing my job but now they are interfering with this relationship. That girl had told her friend that we are together to get attention and to make other guys jealous. I set people straight and I told them the truth."

Rey's smile widened. "Relationship? What exactly is our relationship?"

Poe thought for what felt like forever. "I can't be just friends with you anymore. I want more and I think you do too."

"I want more too, but I have never done any of this before." She really did want to be with him and the only thing that was originally holding her back was the courage to tell him how she felt. Now she worried that her inexperience was going to ruin things before they began.

"I just told you that I have never dated anyone before, we will be doing this for the first time together." Poe said and then it dawned on him. "Sex, you're also worried about sex." He took a deep breath as he saw her nod slightly. He couldn't lie to her. Even though he had no experience with dating, he did have some random hookups and one night stands.

"Look, I will not lie, I do have some experience with sex but I have never made love. We can wait however long you need to. I won't pressure you and I mean it." He said calmly and looked her in the eye so he knew she understood. She bit her lip, trying to decide if she wanted to say something or not.

"I love you." Rey finally let the words pass her lips. She had gained the courage to tell him and wanted to hit herself for not saying it sooner.

Poe smiled and kissed her harder this time. Rey clung to him as if they couldn't live without each other. Needing to breath they separated for a moment. He took this opportunity to voice his feelings.

"I love you too. I am madly, crazy, can't imagine my life without you, in love with you." She giggled a little bit and wrapped both hands behind his neck, playing with the curls at the base of his head. "So does this mean that you're my girlfriend now?"

"Yes and I will wear that title with honor and pride." She announced and pecked him on the lips. The two continued their star gazing, periodically taking a break to make out. They stayed out there all night until they noticed that people were leaving and decided that they should depart as well.

Neither one wanted to separate. They had just figured things out and all they wanted was to hold onto one another. BB-8 came looking for them and that's when they kissed goodbye and went to their chambers to retire for the night.

BB-8 looked up to Poe when they reached their room and beeped a few times. Poe looked down and gave the droid a big smile. "Don't worry BB, I have a feeling that you will be seeing a lot more of her from now on.

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Thanks for reading guys! It means a lot to me that you leave a review and let me know how I am doing. Hope you are enjoying the story so far


	7. Dreams

Dreams

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Disclaimer! I do not own star wars or any of its content.

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"_I love you"_

"_I love you too. Madly, crazy, can't imagine my life without you, in love with you."_ Rey smiled to herself. She had been replaying the previous night over and over again in her head. She had been able to tell Poe that she loved him and he returned her feelings.

Rey never thought that she would be able to love anyone. Growing up on Jakuu, she never saw love. Everyone was cold and it was about survival. If you cared it was a weakness, but the moment she found BB-8 everything changed. She met friends and gained a family, people that wanted her and to be around her. And Poe. She didn't know if this was a forever thing but she did know that right now it felt right.

She sat up in her bed. It was very comfortable but it too big for her. Even spreading her fingers and toes to the edges, she found that they didn't reach. It was just another thing that she was not used to. The one thing that the resistance had taught her was that occasionally it was okay to do something because you want to not because it is the only wave to survive.

The sun was not up yet but Rey found that going back to bed was pointless considering that the longer she thought about the night before she became less tired and more excited. Sliding off the bed she walked over to a dresser that she had seen one of the hand maidens put her small bag of clothes in. When she pulled the drawer open, she noticed that they had washed her clothing and added some more to her collection. Rey decided to wear one of the new pieces given to her. It was really close to what she would normally wear, the only difference being it was a pale blue color that reminded her of the sky here on Naboo.

After changing, Rey grabbed her lightsaber and opened the door. She thought she remembered how to get out of the big palace but admitted defeat after passing what looked like the same picture and frame on the wall for the eighth time. She heard some shuffling and decided to ask for help. As she rounded the corner she walked into to someone else.

"You're up early my dear, can't sleep?" Leia asked as she brushed invisible dirt from her clothes. Rey did the same thing and nodded her head.

"Yes. I'm not use to the elegance of my room. I thought maybe I could get some training in before we leave. You said that there were some places I could go?" She inquired.

"Oh my, I forgot to tell you but we are spending a few more days here. I wanted to catch up with an old friend. She told me last night that she had some information about the First Order. I can have one of the maids show you to one of the more private trained grounds if you'd like?" Leia started to walk down the hall from where she came and motioned for Rey to follow her.

"That sounds perfect. Will you be joining me later?" The young woman asked.

"Yes but don't wear yourself down child. I want to try some mediation techniques. It will be a little while before then though so why don't you enjoy some of the free time. We don't have much and I know you could use some." The general gave her a smile and took her hand. Leia was a mother figure to Rey and enjoyed spending time with her. She had really hoped that this trip would help her relax and so far it was working.

They came to one of the maidens and Leia asked her to show Rey the grounds and take care of anything she needed. With a simple 'Yes Ma'am' the hand maiden was walking away in the opposite direction and motioned for Rey to follow her.

Rey let go of her master's hand and followed the instructions. She turned back to find that Leia was already gone. The corner of her mouth quirked up and she walked down the hall.

* * *

After a few hours of practicing her lightsaber techniques Rey stopped for a break. She sat down in the grass and looked out at the mountains around her. The girl had taken her to this small grass plain next to a lake. The area was at the bottom of a mountain. It was another view that left the young Jedi awestruck.

She closed her eyes to start her mediation. The wind was lightly blowing, brushing the hair that framed her face. Rey tried to focus but she was having a hard time. There was a splash in the water causing her eyes to snap open. Looking over to where the noise had come from, Rey let out a laugh. It was just some little children enjoying a swim in the lake. Leia had told her about the monsters that can lurk in the waters. Rey vowed to never go in after that but she still watched the little ones play. They looked free of worry and of responsibility. She must have been sitting there to long because after a while her stomach started to growl. Sighing she stood up and started to make her way to the palace.

* * *

Poe had woken up a little later than he was used to. He had dreamed of Rey and didn't want it to end. They were holding each other. They weren't talking, they didn't have to. It was as if they knew what the other was feeling, what they were thinking.

When the pilot did wake up it was to a knock at the door and BB-8 rolling up to the bed beeping. He shuffled out of bed and made his way to the door.

"Who is it?" He asked

"It's Finn, I thought you would have been up by now but if you have company I can always come back later." The voice on the other side of the door spoke. Poe could tell that Finn was wagging eyebrows at the last part.

Poe opened the door and let his pal in.

"No it's just me." He said grabbing a pair of clothes and boots out of the closet. "What's up?"

"Just wanted to know where everyone is. I haven't been able to find anyone around here. I tried to find Rey but she wasn't in her room this morning. That's why I had thought she was with you but now I see that is not the case." Finn said looking around the room waiting for Poe to finish changing in the bathroom.

When he did emerge he gave Finn a questioning look. "Why would she be with me?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe it had something to do with the fact that you two were locking lips last night. By the way man, congratulations. I knew you would tell her eventually, but if I am being honest it wasn't looking to good there for a minute. I was beginning to think that you were going to chicken out." He said leaning against the back of a chair.

Poe laughed. "Thanks for the unconditional belief. I did tell her but nothing like that happened last night. I love her and I don't want to rush her into anything."

"Good because if you did I would have to beat you up." Finn said halfheartedly. Poe knew that he wasn't joking but he also knew that if he pushed Rey into anything she wasn't ready for Finn was the last one he would have to worry about.

"I would expect anything different." He said with a knowing smile. They started to talk about what happened last night and Poe told his friend all about it. Poe needed to tell someone. If he didn't he was afraid it was all just a dream and that what they did last night never happened.

"I am happy for you two. The tiptoeing around each other was killing me." Just then there was a knock at the door. Poe arched his brow and looked at BB-8. The little droid rolled up to the door and started making a series of noises.

"It me BB, is Poe in there?" Poe's heart immediately jumped out of his chest. He would recognize that voice anywhere.

He went to open the door when out of the corner of his eye he saw Finn run into the closet, shutting the door behind him. Poe stopped and walked a few steps closer to his friend.

"What-cha doing there bud?"

"I'm going to give you two some space." Finn said from behind the closet doors.

"Okay thanks, but uh…why in my closet?"

"Poe I am going to come back later." Rey said from the hall. Poe turned to project his voice so she would hear.

"No come in Rey." After a few seconds the door opened and Rey walked in closing the door behind her.

"I was just about to head for something to eat and thought you might like to join me." She said walking up to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. He stared at her for a moment. She must have been training but she left her hair down with a single braid crowning her head. He decided he liked her hair down.

"Yeah I would love to." He said grabbing her hand.

"Good, I was thinking we can stop and see if Finn wants something to eat too." She was about to walk away pulling Poe along behind her when he started to chuckle. She looked at curiously and was about to ask what was funny when a voice came from the wardrobe.

"No thank you, I just had something to eat." Finn said and Rey eyes widened.

The girl looked at her boyfriend. "Is Finn in there?"

"Yes he is."

"Why is Finn in the closet? Wait, did you put him in there?" She went to let him out when Poe tugged her back gently. This caused her to stubble into his chest.

"I didn't put him in there, he put himself in there. Right, buddy?" He said snaking his arm around her waist.

"Right, buddy!" Came a muffled response. Rey was just a little confused and when she looked at Poe for some answers all she got was kiss that made her weak in the knees. They parted and heard a cough come from the closet.

_So much for space._ Poe thought and began walking Rey toward the door. "We are going to get some food, see you later pal."

"Okay, see you later." Finn said as he went to open the doors. Unfortunately for Finn the doors seemed to have latched when he closed himself in. "Um guys? Please come back guys! I stuck in here! Rey? Poe? Anyone?" BB-8 shook his head and rolled over to the door to help the young man.

* * *

"Did you sleep well?" Poe asked walking hand in hand with Rey.

"Yeah, just not used to all the space, I use to being in on a smaller bed. Did you sleep well?" She looked up at him. He was blushing. He was cute when he blushed. "What?" She said after a few moments.

"I slept very well. Truthfully I didn't want to wake up. I was dreaming about you." He muttered. A part of him hoped that she didn't hear the last part but when he saw her face turn red he knew that she had. They had both turned back to facing the direction they were going.

The silence was thick and Poe needed to do something to change the subject. "So, Finn said that you weren't in your room this morning. What did you do to pass your time?"

"I did some training. I was trying to meditate but I couldn't focus. Too many noises and distractions, and I forgot to eat so I decided to give up for a little bit to get food and enjoy the scenery."

"Well after we eat lets go for a walk. I have only been here a few times for supply runs and shipment transfers. Even though it is pretty I have yet to actually explore and see its true beauty" He looked down the hall to see some servants carrying trays in and out of a room. "I think we found food." Just then Rey's stomach starts to growl louder than before. Poe laughs and gently pulls her towards the dining hall for a long over due meal.

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Hi guys! As always please leave a review and have a nice day!


	8. Advice

Advice

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Disclaimer! As usual I do not own star wars or any of its content.

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After eating, Rey and Poe went for a walk through the city. It was so beautiful that Rey didn't want to go back but when she had realized how much time had passed she knew she had to get back to training.

"How soon do you have to be back?" Poe asked lacing his fingers with hers. He looked at the venders around them. They had wandered in the market district and children were running around nearly knocking over stands, causing some of the venders to yell at them to slow down.

Rey chewed on her bottom lip. "I have to be back to train with Leia but we don't have to rush as long as we don't make any stops." She hugged his arm, looking at the children laughing and playing around. There was one little girl who looking for her doll and started to cry when she couldn't find it. Poe spotted the small doll with red yarn for hair and walked them over to pick it up.

"Here you go little one." He said handing her the doll. Her face turned red and her tears stopped. She gave him a quick thank you and ran back to where her friends were.

The couple smiled at each other and continued their walk back to the palace grounds in silence. When they reached their destination Rey hesitantly let go of Poe's arm and took a step back. "I should go meet up with the general now. I don't know how long it will take so I might not see you until tonight at dinner."

Poe reached grabbed her hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing her fingers with a smile. She let out a giggle and pulled her hand back only to grab his face and give him a slow peck on the lips. "I will see you then, I should go make sure that Finn got out of that closet any way." He laughed and pulled apart. With one last glance at each other they both went their separate ways.

* * *

"Take a deep breath and release all the negative energy. You need to clear your mind Rey, that's when you will be able to make your connection with the force for solid." Leia was sitting on large rock while Rey was levitating into the air, raising herself higher the deeper into the meditation she got.

Rey had only been ten minutes late meeting the older woman back at the training grounds she was at earlier. Leia wasn't to upset but did give her a mild lecture on how important it is to be mindful of her other obligations. Once she was done she had instructed her pupil to start on her meditation exercise, now three hours later Rey had felt like she was finally getting somewhere when she suddenly felt a dark shroud fall over her.

Breaking her concentration her falls down, landing on her butt. "Ugh! Why can't I get this? Every time I feel like I am close I suddenly feel like a cloud of darkness wraps around me." Rey stood up and walked over to her teacher. Sitting down next to Leia, Rey leans down to rest her elbows on her thighs and puts her head between her hands.

"It will take some time my dear. You just have to keep up with it and it will eventually pay off." Leia patted the younger woman's back and looked across the lake.

"Yeah but eventually may not be soon enough. What if we are caught before then? What if Kylo Ren finds us and everything you have worked for is gone because I can't connect with the past Jedi and properly with the force?" Rey struggles to keep her frustrations in check. She noticed how her master winced at the mention of his name and silently reprimanded herself for carelessly saying it.

"I believe in you Rey, no matter what happens I know you will be able to overcome what is coming and even what we do not see. Why don't we give it a break for today, we can pick this up again tomorrow."

Rey didn't have a chance to respond, Leia was already walking away and turned back, offering her a reassuring smile and motioning her to follow.

As they started to walk closer to the palace gardens Rey spotted the balcony from the other night and started to think about Poe and their kiss, well their multiple kisses. She could feel a blush creep across her cheeks. This did not go unnoticed by her walking companion.

"I know that look. You're smitten, aren't you?" Rey's eyes bugged out of her head. "Oh don't be surprised child. I have seen both of you ogling each other for months and from what I had seen last night I figured you two had finally gotten to talk about it."

_Of course she would know, she knows everything that happens around here._ Rey thought.

Rey nodded and paused to face Leia. "He told me that he loves me, and I told him that I love him too. I don't know what the future will hold for us but right now in this moment I love him with my whole heart. There is something I have wanted to ask you for a while now though." Leia raised a thin eyebrow, silently urging her to continue. "I was going through the Jedi books and scrips and one of the rules that I came across where about being forbidden to have a family. It said that we cannot love someone for it could make us turn to the dark side."

"Ah, well there are somethings that needed to change and that was one of them. The whole point of the rule was to keep us from doing something for the people we love and abandon our pledge to the Jedi temple. There were a plenty of Jedi who were able to have families and not lose themselves to the dark. When Luke combed through the texts, he came to the realization that loving was not a bad thing. It makes you stronger, but you do need to use your better judgment when deciding when to use your heart or your head. Don't let that get between you and Poe. After all you two have endured in your lives, you deserve each other."

Rey smiled and gave her a hug. "Thank you, that was weighing on me a little bit."

"You and I both know that you wouldn't have followed that rule anyway." Leia said with and laugh and returned that hug.

"No I would not have, but having someone else saying that it is okay not to makes me feel less guilty for doing so." She said truthfully. The two separated and continued on their walk.

* * *

Rey had just changed into different clothes and slipped on some black flats from the closet. One of the hand maidens started to do her hair. She had pinned one side back, leaving the rest to fall just below her shoulders, using an emerald green jewel that matched her assemble. The outfit in whole was very simple. She wore a form fitting green top with long sleeves that fanned out at the wrists, the front hem line showed just enough cleavage that she didn't feel like she was exposed but made her feel pretty. It was paired with black pants that showed off her curves. She had also chosen to wear a small dark blue pendant that Leia had given to her around her neck.

She knew that Leia was enjoying giving her the dresses and jewels and so on, but she couldn't help but feel guilty about it. As much as she had wished she was her daughter, that she could have been a part of a family who wanted her and loved her as much as she felt around Leia and had once around Han the reality was that she wasn't.

Leia has a child, a child that should be with her right now. _Ben_. Rey should have been able to get through to him but she didn't. She failed and now she felt like Leia was rewarding her for something she couldn't do. Every time she brought him up Leia would instantly falter. Rey didn't blame her, she blamed herself. And now he was after them, hunting them down trying to eliminate the threat to his rule.

Rey was so lost in thought that she didn't hear a knocking on the door. One of the maids opened it slightly.

"Hello, can I speak to Rey?"

"Hold on just a moment please sir." The maid closed the door and walked over to Rey, informing her that a gentleman was at the door waiting to be let in.

"We are done here anyway, let him in on your way out please." Rey said with a smile. The maiden nodded and made her way to the door. Rey stood as Finn walked. "I see you made it out of the closet after all." She laughed.

"Yes and no thanks to you or Poe. You know I thought we were friends and yet it was BB-8 who had to save me." He pouted. Finn stopped a second to look at his friend. "You know I have never seen you in so much color before. Looks like this trip has been really good for you."

It was true, she had never really worn different colors before. It wasn't practical on Jakku and it certainly wasn't like she had much of a choice. Being here made her realize how much she loved wearing different colors and types of clothing. She might not be too keen on dresses but she would wear them again just to see the look on Poe's face when he saw her.

"Thank you and I am sorry about the closet thing but why you put yourself in there in the first place I won't understand." She looked at him with a smirk. His face reddens in embarrassment.

"Ah, it's in the past, I am over it now anyway. Let's go to dinner, Poe and Chewy are waiting for us in the dining hall and I am sure the general is down there by now too." The walked out of the room, closing the door behind them and started down the hall way.

"So I have a question for you." Finn said shoving his hands in his pockets.

Rey tilted her head slightly. "Hmm?"

"So there is this girl I like and she has made it pretty clear that she likes me too. The only problem is that I don't really know how to express that I like her. I can't talk to her without me being awkward and stumbling over my words." He looked away avoiding the look her knew he was going to get from the woman next to him.

"Finn, I am really not the person to be asking about this. You probably have more experience than I do. What did Poe say?" She looked at him like he had grown two head in a matter of seconds.

"I haven't asked him. If I did he will make fun of me and besides when it comes to what girls want I thought I should just ask a girl instead of a guy." He sighed. "Never mind I'm sorry, you're right I should have gone to Poe-"

"No I get it. Finn, how did she tell you she likes you?" She asked in a reassuring tone.

"She kissed me." He said in a small voice.

"Wow, okay so just kiss her back." Rey laughed. It might not be sound advice but she was pretty sure that it would work. Especially if that person was who she thinks it is.

"I can't just kiss Ros-"Finn gawked part because of what Rey had suggested and the other part because he just let slip who he likes.

_So I was right, it is Rose. Boy is she going to be happy to know that he likes her back._

"Just trust me, well pick a good time to do it. Take her for a walk or ask her out for dinner or something." She bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Okay yeah, yeah I can do this, but what if it back fires?" He questions looking over to her.

Rey furrowed her brow. "Maybe you should just ask Poe." They both laugh and he bumps her shoulder this time.

* * *

"How much longer are we going to be here for?" Poe asked general Organa. As much as he liked it on Naboo he was starting to get antsy about being here. The First Order could show up at any minute and he wanted to be out of there before they did.

"The day after tomorrow at the latest. I am still trying to recruit some new bodies for the resistance and even though we have gotten a hand full I know that there are more out there." She said before placing a small fork full of food in her mouth.

Rey was sitting next to Poe, silently eating the food on her plate as she listened to their conversation. Chewy and Finn were carrying on about a rematch of holochess and Leia and Poe where discussing their departure schedule. Rey and Leia were the only ones still eating and she could feel Leia's annoyance with Poe about wanting to discuss plans while she ate.

Finishing her food, she looks over at them resting a hand on Poe's thigh. "I am going to get some fresh air and retire for the night." She could tell that Poe had no intention on ending the one sided conversation. "Poe would join me for a walk?"

"Oh what a fine idea! You know how Rey is with directions. Please make sure she safely makes it back to her quarters?" Leia not so subtly states.

Poe takes the hint and says good night to everyone before walking Rey out of the room. Rey turns around to see Leia mouth a 'Thank you' to her. She smiles in return, sending her a nod of understanding.

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Hey everyone, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know how I am doing and leave a review. Have a nice day!


	9. Trouble Ahead

Trouble Ahead

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Disclaimer! I own nothing to do with Star Wars! This chapter is rated M!

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They made it a few feet away from the door when Poe grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. "Sorry but I had to save you from getting your head torn off." She looked at him apologetically.

"I could have handled myself you know." He feigned being insulted, pulling the hand that held hers to his chest. With her pressed up against him, he leaned down to kiss her. His other hand found its way into her hair, gently holding her head.

They pulled apart and started to walk again. "I know but I wanted to spend some time with you before Leia sent you to do something that kept you away for the rest of the trip." She squeezed his hand and leaned up to peck his lips.

"Fair enough." He said as they approached her chambers. "You look gorgeous tonight." Poe started to rub circles with his thumb onto her palm.

"Thank you but you don't have to keep telling me that." They had reached her door and she put her free hand on the handle.

"I will tell you every day because I want you to know how beautiful you are." He turns her head so that she is looking him in the eyes.

"Funny, I don't feel beautiful. I mean I know I am not ugly but I don't think I would call myself Beautiful. There are a lot of prettier girls out there and I don't think it would be fair to say I am pretty like them because I'm not. I guess pretty would be an okay way of describing me but I can't say Beautiful by all means, it just wouldn't be right-"She was cut off by Poe pressing his lips against hers. She melted into his touch and ran her hands up his biceps, stopping when they found the back of his neck. His hand was on her waist and the other moving up the back of her shirt feeling her bare skin.

"Sorry, I rambled." She said against his mouth. He pulled away to look at her face.

"Rey you are beautiful and I plan on making you see that." He leaned back down to kiss her. This time it was more hungry and filled with need. After a few moments they parted for air. Just as they were about to start kissing again they heard footsteps coming down the hall. Rey quickly opened her door and pulled Poe into her room. Closing the door and waiting for the person to pass. They stared at each other for a moment before Rey started to kiss him again. She managed to kick her shoes off and pull him towards her bed.

The only light in the room was coming from the fire place. One of the maids must have started it so the room would be nice and warm when Rey got back from dinner. Even with the dim glow, Rey and Poe could still see each other.

Rey started tugging at his shirt. "Take it off." She murmured as she pushed him down on the bed. He did as he was told and discarded his shirt, throwing it somewhere on the floor. Continuing their heated make out, Rey straddled Poe's waist. One of his hands found its spot on her hip while the other ventured up her shirt.

Poe's lips left her and made a trail down her jaw to her neck, where he began sucking and nipping at the exposed flesh. Rey moaned tilting her head to give him better access. Rey's hands run over his chest, trying to memorize every inch of it. Poe nipped a sensitive spot just under her jaw, causing her to gasp and grind against him.

He took a sharp breath, feeling himself getting harder. He knew Rey felt it too because the hitch in her breathe was audible. Poe stopped his movements and slid her off of him, gently placing her next to him on the bed.

"Rey we should stop." Poe said pressing his forehead against hers. Rey's face fell and he instantly felt like a monster. "We are going too fast." He took both of her hands in his.

Rey stared down at her lap and bit her lip. "Do you not want to?" She felt unsure and shaken. It might just be the blood pumping or the heat of the moment, but she wants to be with him in every way possible.

"No, I want to." He said harder than he meant to. He softened his tone, "I want our first time to be special."

She shook her head and removed her hands from his, placing them on either side of his face. "Poe every moment with you is special. I want this, I want you." Rey leaned in close, kissing him passionately. When they pulled apart Poe sighed and stood up, leaving her sitting on the bed alone. "Please?" Rey said with a whimper.

Now it was Poe's turn to shake his head. He walked over to the door, picking up his shirt along the way. Placing a hand on the handle, he looked back at his girlfriend on the bed. "Damn it." He locked the door and tossed his garment on a nearby chair. Before Rey could comprehend what was happening, Poe was already right in front of her, laying her down on her back and peppering her with kisses all over her skin.

He pulled away just enough to let her remove her clothes and for him to take off his boots and pants. He ran a hand through her hair, combing out the jewel that held it all in place. "You are so beautiful." He leaned over her, cradling her face and kissing her slowly. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Poe said, pulling away.

"Yes, for the last time, yes." She returned his kiss with as much love as she could put into it just to make sure he understood. Rey pulled loose the tie that held her chest bindings in place and let them fall down on the bed. Their hands traveled and explored each other's bodies, marveling at every touch. Soon they were both completely naked.

Poe positioned himself between her legs. With one thrust he entered her. Rey gripped the sheets and Poe kissed her mouth. He said stayed there until she gave him a nod to continue. After a few thrusts the pain subsided and pleasure took its place. Rey let out a moan and ran her nails down Poe's back. He picked up the pace, going a little bit harder with each movement.

Watching her writhe in pleasure beneath him was now one of his favorite things. The way she tilts her head back, opening her neck for him to taste her, hair fanning out around her head. Her legs wrapped around him, pulling him in deeper. "Mmmhmm." She moved her fingers through his hair, bringing his lip down to meet hers.

He gripped her hip and grabbed one of her perky breasts with his other hand, massaging it. It wasn't too long before she felt the coil in her stomach go and she started to orgasm as she called out his name. Poe followed and released himself in her. He pulled out and fell to her side, bringing the covers over their bodies.

Rey curled up to him, laying her head on his shoulder and draping her leg across his. "That was amazing." He breathed, kissing her forehead.

She laughed and placed her hand on his other shoulder. "Yes it was." Rey craned her head to kiss his lips. "I love you."

Poe looked down at her and smiled. "I love you too." Soon the two lovers were fast asleep, limbs tangled and intertwined.

* * *

"_What are you doing Rey? You are supposed to be with me, ruling by my side!"_ His voiced raised, every word seething with anger. He stood there staring her down. She was all alone in a void with only _him_.

"_Leave me alone! I will never join you, never go to the dark side!"_ She grabbed the lightsaber at her waist and held it high, igniting the blade. Kylo stepped closer, taking his own weapon in his hands. "_I would rather die than become like you!"_

"_I told you that I will find you. You are going to join me one way or the other!"_ He moved his hand up and suddenly Rey couldn't breathe. She was grasping for air and felt her feet leave the grounds. Dropping her lightsaber, her hands went to her neck. Rey knew it wouldn't help but her vision was getting fuzzy and she had to do something. She managed to scream, jolting herself awake.

Rey shot up out of bed, breath heavy and sweat dampening her forehead. _It was just a dream, breath Rey. It is all right._ She tried to tell herself but the shaking wouldn't stop. It had been a while since she had seen him in her dreams, since she had seen him in the bond they had shared. Rey had hoped that when Snoke died, slowly their connection would too, but now she wasn't so sure of that anymore.

Looking over at the man beside her, she was relieved to see that she hadn't woken him up with her nightmare. It was still dark out so she decided to try to go back to sleep, hopefully without any bad dreams. Laying back down she pressed her bare body against Poe's. He started to stir and snaked an arm around her, securing her next to him. Rey suppressed a smile and minutes later she started to doze off, successfully pushing her thoughts out of her head.

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A/N: Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter, I have never written a sex scene before so bear with me please, hopefully it is not as bad as I think it is. If you like the story so far please leave a review and tell me how I'm doing, I am open to thoughts about the story and the writing so please don't be shy to tell me what you think. Have a nice day everyone!


	10. A Secret To Keep

A Secret to Keep

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Disclaimer! As stated before, I do not own star wars or any of its content.

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Rey felt the warm sun on her face. Fluttering her eyes open she noticed that Poe was no longer beside her. She felt around where he had been laying and felt disappointment. _He probably wanted to leave before anyone saw him in here._ Rey thought.

Just as she laid back down she heard a soft noise on the balcony. Wrapping one of the sheets around her body and she walked cautiously toward the open door, watching the slight wind blowing the curtains gently. When she poked her head out she saw him standing there, bare feet and no shirt, only wearing his pants that he must have found on the floor from last night.

"What are you doing out here?" Rey asked as she walked up next to him. He jumped a little bit and turned to meet her with a smile.

"I was just thinking that I could get use to waking up like this every day." He wrapped an arm around her waist and lightly pressed a kiss to her lips. "You are so beautiful in the morning."

"Well you don't look to bad yourself." She laughed with a blush creeping across her face. She could get use to this too. This was something new and intimate, and she liked it. Rey never thought she would be one of those people to do all the hugging and holding. She never liked being touched but with Poe it was different. He never hurt her, never made her feel uncomfortable.

"I didn't wake you up, did I? You looked so peaceful; I tried to let you get some more rest." Poe said into the shell of her ear. She was now leaning against the rail and he stood behind her, his chest pressed to her back. Poe's hands on her shoulders, thumbs making circular patterns.

She looked out at the mountains, trees and fields; the sun was still rising and had made everything glow. The scene was gorgeous that she could look at it all day. "No, you didn't. I usually wake up early. What were you doing up? If I remember correctly you once told me that you like to sleep in as long as you could." She turned around, holding the sheet to her chest with one hand and put the other around his neck.

Poe gave her a devilish grin. "I do, but how could I with a beautiful naked woman sleeping right next to me. Not to mention the snoring." He received a smack on the arm and she laughed only for him to look at her seriously.

"I have a bad feeling. I wish we could stay longer but I feel like The First Order is on their way. I have tried talking to the general about it but she thinks we have a little more time." His face is pulled down looking at the vines on the rail. General Organa was never one to brush off these matters but she was prolonging leaving Naboo. Rey could understand why and maybe when everything was done and over they could all come back.

"Maybe I could talk to her when we are at the training field today. But until then try to enjoy yourself. It's not often we are able to take time to relax." She gave him a smile and when he looked up at her face she pulled him in for a kiss. When they parted, he shook his head with a chuckle.

"I guess I can do that but only if I am able to get some alone time with my girlfriend first." He started to walk backwards toward the bed and pulled her with him. Rey smiled and drew the sheet with her; dropping is when they reached the bed

"It is still pretty early and since we are not expected to be anywhere until noon, I think we can make that work." She pushed him down on the bed and climbed on him just like the night before.

"I think I am starting to become a morning person." Poe said grabbing her waist and started to leave a trail of kisses under her jaw.

* * *

As the day went by Rey found her mind wondering to Leia. She had Rey do some reading in the temple instead of training. It was filled with books about Naboo's history, its queens and its struggle for its people. Leia had told her to read about the politics and find what she could about when the Jedi had come to help them in their time of need. The older woman wanted her to learn of the ways that Jedi had helped reclaim this beautiful world for its people and how they lost one of their own for the cause. _"When you understand that everything comes with a price you will be able to acknowledge that not everything is black and white. Sometimes to do the right thing you could lose everything. You need to think things through and weigh what you are willing to sacrifice for your cause."_

It's not that Rey had a problem with it, quite the opposite really. She found the history of Naboo interesting as well as the two Jedi who had come to the aid of the queen and her people. She remembered one of the names from when Luke started training her. _Obi-won Kenobi. _

It had been a few hours when Leia had suddenly stood up and walked by Rey. The young woman looked up with a raised eyebrow but her master returned it with a waving hand. "Continue your reading my dear. I will be back shortly, I just have something I have to do and then we can finish up with your meditation outside." With that she slipped past the doors and disappeared from Rey's sight.

Rey watched as the wide double doors shut. The librarian made a huffing sound as she furrowed her brows, just as she did every time the doors opened or closed. Rey brought her attention back to the pages in front of her. Straining her eyes as she reached toward the lamp, turning the up the light to see the script better. The sun was setting and the light in the room was becoming scarce.

Deciding that the light was now sufficient, she refocused her train of thought. The trade federation cut off all routes to Naboo and two Jedi Knights where sent to help. Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi. Through a series of events, a few different planets, and some running Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had wound up in an epic battle with a sith apprentice named Darth Mal. In the end Qui-Gon was killed and Darth Mal was thought to have perished.

Leia's mother was queen at the time and she had worked together with the two Jedi to save her people. According to Leia this was also when Padme met Anakin, her future husband and Leia and Luke's father. Most of their relationship was kept a secret, only through some of Padme's dearest friends, servants and a little droid did Luke and Leia piece together the entirety of the affair and what transpired between the two.

Rey was not sure why Leia told her about her parents. Maybe it was because she thought Rey was more like a daughter and felt comfortable telling her. Or maybe it was because Leia felt that the story needed to be told to someone before the events themselves became a fairytale. Either way, Leia took a chance in telling Rey about it and she intended to keep the secret to herself.

Hours pasted and Rey was almost done with the stack of books Leia had set in front of her earlier that day. The doors opened and Rey's head snapped up. The person coming her way was not the older woman she expected but instead it was Finn he was walking rather fast and when he saw Rey he started to run toward her.

"Rey we got to go, the General is waiting for us in the dining hall. There has been some important transmission." Finn took no time pulling Rey to her feet, only stopping for a moment to help her put the books that had gotten knocked over in the rush back on the table. They were soon walking fast into the dining hall where everyone was discussing something important.

Rey walked up next to her master and waited to be caught up to speed while Finn walked to the other side of the table next to Chewy and Poe. When Leia noticed her student's presence she turned to her and placed a hand on Rey's arm.

"I am so sorry Rey. I was on my way back to you a few hours ago when I received an important transmission and I had forgotten to send someone to collect you." Leia said.

"No worries, I was able to finish most of my studies anyway. What's going on?" Rey asked Leia but her eyes met Poe's. He looked frustrated and tired. She hadn't seen him since this morning and from the looks of it he was having a rough day.

General Organa took a deep breath and looked at the younger woman. "The First Order found us and they are on their way."

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Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while. It's been a rough couple of months due to well everything, I have also just moved and have had a really close family member in the hospital. And on top of it all I have had a really bad case of writer's block so thank you guys for being patient and understanding. As usual if you enjoyed the chapter or the story so far, please leave a comment and let me know how I am doing. It is always appreciated and I love to hear from you. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy and that you all have a nice day/night. :)


	11. Choices

**Choices**

Disclaimer- I do not own or have anything to do with Star Wars.

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"I have gotten word from one of my contacts, the first order will be here in a few days. We need to leave as soon as possible." Poe said, eyeing Leia. She glared back at him and turned her attention to Chewy.

"Please prepare the falcon for the trip back to base Chewy. Finn, make sure that there is enough food and supplies and then help Chewy with whatever he needs." Leia turned back to Poe after feeling his gaze bore through her skull. "Yes Poe?"

"I warned you multiple times that we were going to be spotted here and you wouldn't listen to me. Now they are hot on our heels and they could easily trace us back to our base. It's as if someone is telling them our location everywhere we go and you just sit there and do nothing!" Poe shouted and then almost immediately regretted it. Rey winced and bit her lip.

"I have made mistakes, but we have a few days before they get here and by then we will be long gone and they won't be able to follow us. You were right about leaving but that does not give you a reason to bite my head off when we need to be working together on this. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am." Poe stood down and Leia gave him a small smile.

"Please make sure that the new recruits are ready to go and have time to say farewell to their families. We will be leaving tonight and I want to make sure everything is taken care of before we do." With that said Chewy, Finn, and Poe took their leave.

"Master, I think I know how they found us here." Rey spoke quietly so the other people in the room wouldn't hear.

"Shush child, let's find somewhere quiet to talk." Leia led her down the hall and into a smaller room and locked the door behind her. "There is no one here, what is it?"

"I have been having dreams or visions, I am not really sure how it works but when I do have them I see him. I see Kylo Ren and he talks to me. I can see him as if he is in the very room I am in. He is trying to get me to turn and I am afraid that he is tracking us through me. I have tried my best to get them to stop but when it happens I can't do anything." Rey felt as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders. The only other person that knew about the visions was Luke. She wanted to tell Poe but was afraid that he wouldn't understand.

"Oh dear, I am not really sure what to do about that. If he is indeed using your connection to find our location then that could very well be the reason why we have been having shorter periods without being found. This is truly a difficult situation we are in." The General started to pace back and forth and put a finger on her chin. Her face started to scrunch up as she combed through her brain trying to figure out what to do.

After a few moments her face lit up a little bit and her eyes met Rey's once more. "There is another base that we were planning to move to in a few weeks. When we get back to our current base we will send you there to meet up with our scouts we have there." Leia looked pleased with her idea but Rey needed convincing, it still put others in danger to be with her there.

"I do not understand. Even if I go ahead, everyone that is there already will be in danger and what happens when you all follow in a few weeks? You will be caught and then we are back to where we were before." Rey shook her head. This whole situation is a nightmare.

"No they won't. The new base is on a forest planet. If you stay there and train the chances of him tracking your location is very slim. Most planets are dense with foliage and if could take him years to find the one you are on." She gave Rey a knowing look and moved to give her a hug. "I know that you feel alone but you are not. We are here for you, to fight with you. You will train and get stronger and you will be able to fight back against him and these visions will go away. I believe they will and I believe in you."

"Okay then, can we keep this between us please? No one else knows about my visions and I want to keep it that way for right now." The scavenger replied, hugging the older woman back.

"Oh course dear. Now go make sure that your bags are taken to the falcon and say your goodbyes. It is going to be a while before we are able to come back to Naboo. Once you are done go help Chewy with the falcon and I will meet up with you in a few hours."

"Yes master."

* * *

"Finn can you hand me the panel cover?" Rey asked as she rubbed her wrist across her nose, unknowingly leaving a grease smudge on her skin. She was helping with the finishing touches while they waited for Leia and Poe.

Finn handed down the panel cover and the screw driver that he knew his friend was going to soon ask for. "Oh, thank you Finn. Alright then, that just about takes care of it. I have one more thing to do and then we are ready to go." Rey finished tightening the screws and then climbed out of the floor and placed the hatch back over the hole.

"Sounds good, I will let Chewy know. I have to call the base and let them know we will be on our way so they know to expect us." Finn stated as he helped Rey to her feet and made his exit off the ship.

"I guess it's just you and me BB." Rey looked down at the little droid who was buzzing around her feet. He replied with a series of beeps and woops. Rey laughed and strode over to another paneling system. She removed the cover and set in against the wall, letting it slid to the floor. "Bring me the cord to administer the diagnostic test please." When she didn't get a reply or the cord she had asked for she called out again. "Help me out would you?"

"Sure, but can I get something in return?"

Rey jumped at the sound of the man's voice. Turning around she was met with a smiling Poe holding the cable she asked for. "Deal, but cable first." She said holding out her hand. Poe chuckled and handed her the cord.

Taking it, she plugged it into the circuit board and attached the other end into the portable monitor and started running the diagnostics. "What you did earlier was pretty ballsy."

"Ah and here I thought I could have a conversation with that being brought up." Poe sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He looked around and let his gaze land on Rey. "Look I was wrong, I should have kept my mouth shut. I was just so angry. I have been telling her for days that we were in danger here and she let her feelings get in the way.

"That's not fair; you can't point a finger at her like a child. Look, it happened and we are leaving. Soon it will be as if we were never here." Rey calmly said as she set down the monitor and walked over to him. When she reached him she grabbed his hands and gave them a squeeze.

"Your right, I need to let it go." Poe pulled her in closer and leaned down slightly. "Now can I get that something in return?" She laughed at that and nodded, leaning in. Just as their lips were about to meet however, the portable monitor started to go off. Poe grunted and Rey started to laugh harder. Separating from the man who previously held all of her attention, she walked over to the device to see the readings.

"Great, I miss calculated the nobs in the paneling below. It's going to take me a while to recalibrate them before we leave." Rey announced with a huff.

"That's okay, I have to get one of the extra manuals for the transport ship to Leia anyway. You have distracted me once again." He said with a teasing tone.

"Oh and here I thought you were here for me." She laughed.

* * *

"Are we ready to go?" Leia questioned Chewy. He nodded and started to flip some switches on the control panels. Rey followed his lead and began turn nobs and flipping switches. It wasn't to long before they were in light speed, racing home before the First Order caught them.

"What is going to happen to the people of Naboo? The First Oder knows that we were there. They are going to be questioned and harmed, aren't they?" Rey turned to Leia with sadness in her eyes. They all knew what could happen. It has happened countless times before but this time it was different for Rey. Naboo felt like more of a home than any other place. She could see a future there, friends and family growing, flourishing.

"Hopefully they will catch on quick and realize that no one on Naboo knows where we are going or where any of our resistance bases are. Kylo would be foolish to destroy Naboo for a location, even more so considering it will only drive us away further." Leia frowned and looked forward. "Why don't you go get some rest Rey, I will stay here and keep Chewy company."

Rey was about to protest when a wave of exhaustion hit her, It had been a really long day and she had been pretty much on the go. She could really use a few hours of sleep and Chewy could handle everything until she was back.

"Alright, I think I will get some shut eye before we get to the base. Thank you Leia." She got up and made her way to the sleeping quarters. The ship was quiet. Finn and Poe were on the transport ship with the new recruits and BB-8 was resting. Lying down on the bed, Rey let the sounds of the creaking metal and hum of the engine lull her to sleep.

* * *

Rey looked down at her fingers, they were turning blue. It was cold and dark. She didn't know where she was. She could hear screams though, and she could see figures in the pitch black. Rey started to panic.

"Hello! Anyone, can you hear me? What's going on? Please say something!" The scavenger yelled over the screams and cries. They didn't stop and she got no response. It was getting colder and she could see her breath. She fell to the ground, shaking.

"Just tell me where you are Rey and all the pain will stop." Rey's eyes widened. _No, please. "_Join me Rey, just take my hand." The voice bellowed, getting louder with every word.

"Leave me alone! I will not turn and I will _never_ join you!" Her teeth chattered and her skin started to freeze. It was getting harder to breathe and with every second that passed the screams got louder. Kylo started to laugh, making her cringe. "Don't you get it? I was trying to save you but you have proven time after time that you can't be helped. I will not be _with_ you, I will not _be_ you."

"You will, eventually you will see that I am the only one who really understands you and will accept you for who you are. You think the resistance knows who you are really are? Leia? Your friends? _Poe_? No, I am the only one and when the time comes I will be waiting for you. All you will have to do is tell me where you are and I will be there. I will do anything, hurt or kill anyone to make you see that." In an instant he was gone. Rey started to close her eyes trying to prevent the tears that threatened to spill over.

He was never going to let her go. She was never going to be free from the darkness that held on to her. She needed to find a way to get out, out of this place and out of this situation. "Please get up! Move! Do _something_, don't let it get you. _Get up_! _Fight _back! Anything! Just do it quick!" She pleaded with herself, but it didn't work. She could feel the ice cover her body, it was now or never. But she could do it and everything went back.

* * *

Rey's eyes shot open, she was cold but from what she could tell she was back in the bunks, lying down on a bed and alone. The bone chilling screams were replaced with the hum of the engine. She sat up, looking at her fingers, touching her arms, trying to bring warmth back into her body.

After a few moments she sighed a breathe of relief. "It was just a dream, I think. He was there. I know he was there but what about all of those people. They were in pain, they were hurting and crying. Was it from Kylo? Oh no, what if it was Naboo!" Rey jumped up and started to the door. She was met in the lounge area with BB-8. The little droid was sent to let her know that they were approaching the base.

The two made their way to the cock pit and took their seat. "Are you okay dear? You look pale." Leia leaned over and placed a light touch to her forehead. "Your skin is clammy." She sat back down and waited.

"I am just a little shaky is all. I had another..um..dream." Rey shifted in her seat. Leia nodded in understanding and changed the subject.

"We will be there in twenty minutes, the boys are about forty minutes behind us. They had a little bit harder time leaving Naboo but they are fine and are making good time."

"Good, what is the plan for when we get back?" She put on her headset and took control of the ship while Chewy set off for a bathroom break.

Seeing her old friend walk away Leia leaned in close. "What happened in your dream?" Concern shown in her eyes, terrified of what her son had done.

"Everything was cold and dark. I couldn't see anything in front of me. There were people there, I couldn't see them but I heard them, all of them. They were crying and screaming, some in pain and others in fear. Ice was covering my body, I tried to move, to do anything but I it was like I was molded there and no matter what I did I couldn't. I was so scared and that's when I heard him. Kylo Ren. He asked me to join him, he said that he was the only one who would understand me and he would hurt anyone to prove his point." A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. Rey blinked it away and continued. "I know he is wrong but I can't let anyone get hurt because of me."

"Everyone in the resistance understands the risks of being here." Leia said trying to reassure her, it didn't work.

"There is a difference between dying for a cause and dying because an angry man child can't get his way. No offence." Rey shifted in her so she could face her master. "I can't be the reason why people are getting hurt. All my life I was nothing and now I am suddenly a friend and a Jedi. I am not used to being a needed or wanted for that matter."

Thinking for a minute, Leia leaned back and sighed. "I know the plan was to have you leave and go to the new base camp but I was going to have you wait a day or so. If you are really that worried about it you can pack up your things and leave as soon as possible. I can send you with one of the supply ships that are heading there in advance. But what are you going to do about Poe? You and I both know that he will try to follow you there."

"I don't want him to get hurt and ever since we have been together the dreams have been more frequent and Kylo has been angrier. He is getting stronger and I can't put all of myself into training when I am worried about Kylo doing something to him. I shouldn't have started this with him. I should have waited for all of this to be over, until I could be with him and he could be safe." Rey's grip on the controls tightened.

"Don't say that. Who knows how long this could go on for? It is better that you did something about your feelings now rather than wait. Either of you could be dead or fall in love with someone else. You would regret not saying something when you had the chance. Don't regret, there must be another way around this." Leia reasoned.

Rey looked forward and started to flip switches. Defeated she sighed. "I don't regret it, but I know what I have to do."

* * *

A/N: Hi everyone! I just got over writer's block and when I started writing I couldn't stop so this is a longer chapter. Please leave a comment and let me know how I am doing. I look forward to hearing your guy's thoughts. As always Have a nice day/night and stay healthy and safe. :)


	12. A Questionable Decision

A Questionable Decision

Disclaimer: I do not own star wars or its characters.

* * *

After arriving at the base Rey went to her room and packed what little things she had. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to see Poe before she left so she decided to write a letter for him and left it on the bed. She was all set to go she just had to talk to Leia before she took off.

"Are you all set to go?" Leia questioned. She had given Rey a list of training exercise to go over while she waited and gave her a map in case she wanted to explore. The General decided to walk Rey to the supply ship but they had stopped once they got in the hanger bay. She wanted to make sure that her pupil had everything she needed before she left for her journey.

"Yes, my bags are on the ship and they are just waiting for me." Rey looked down at her feet. She knew what she was doing wasn't right but she didn't know what else to do.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It is not too late to turn back. No one has to know and I could pretend like it never did." Rey knew that Leia meant well but she couldn't turn back now. People's lives were at stake unless she could control these sessions with Kylo. This was her chance to protect the ones she loves.

"I have to do it. I am not changing my mind." Rey said determined. Leia nodded, knowing full well that if Rey put her mind to it there was no going back.

The older woman leaned in and gave the younger one a hug. "Be safe and may the force be with you." Rey nodded and let go. Before she could take her leave however, the transport ship from Naboo arrived. A few minute pasted and Finn and Poe came walking off the ramp.

Poe spotted Rey almost immediately and jogged over to her. He hugged her as soon as they were inches apart and then pulled her into a deep kiss. She held on to him like her life depended on it and let his tongue explore her mouth. When they pulled apart she looked at him and arched her eye brow. "What was that for?"

"I just felt like it. Cant a guy just kiss his girlfriend?" Rey was about to answer but her cut her off. "I can't believe that you still have grease on your nose. I thought that you would have cleaned it off by now." He laughed and started to wipe it away with his sleeves.

Before she could say anything he was called over by one of his pilot friends and he kissed her again. "I will talk to you later okay. I have to help some of the guys out getting the new recruits settled. Don't forget you still have to uphold your part of the deal." And with that he was retreating deeper into the base, his back to Rey. She left him that letter thinking that they wouldn't have time to say good bye but he was here in front of her. She had the opportunity to tell him, and she blew it. _Maybe I can still talk to him._

She took a step in his direction when the pilot from the supply ship yelled. "Come on, we got to go!"

She hesitated but then moved toward the ship. Rey needed to leave, she could talk to him once she got there. She prayed that he would be willing to listen to her.

* * *

Rey stepped off the ship and dropped her bags on the ground. Leia was right, there was no way Kylo was going to track her here. Now all she had to do was test the theory and prove that he won't be able to. Until then she might as well get used to her new temporary home.

With a hesitant step she started to her new room, which was more of a tent than anything but it would do just fine. She had gotten spoiled on Naboo and as she entered the tent she immediately missed the big oversized bed and the view from the room. Most of all she missed the man that had shared it with her.

She missed him and wished he could be there with her, but she knew that could not happen. She wanted him to be safe and until she could make sure that this was going to work she didn't want him to be around. Rey just hoped that one day this wouldn't be necessary.

* * *

"Hey Finn, have you seen Rey?" Poe strode up to his friend with a smile.

"I saw her yesterday after your not so subtle make out session. She was walking toward one of the supply ships. Maybe she was asked to help out and went on a run. She should be back by now though. Did you check her room?" Finn offered. Poe's smile faltered and he tried his best not to look dismayed.

"Yeah I did last night but there was no response, maybe I just missed her. I will go check again." Poe turned on his heel and headed back the way he came.

"You want me to come with you? I have some of those sweets she liked on Naboo and thought that she might want some." Finn inquired and Poe nodded with a smile.

They were making their way to Rey's room when they bumped into Leia. She just walked past their destination when they caught her eye. "'Good afternoon, you two look like you are on a mission." She said and as usual she wasn't wrong.

They continued walking to Rey's room while talking to their General. "We were just looking for Rey. We haven't seen her since yesterday." Poe confessed.

Leia was about to say something when Finn pipped in. "Come to think of it, I think Rose said something about her not being at breakfast earlier. I saw her helping with a supply ship yesterday, I figured that we probably just missed her and she is back getting some rest."

They reached her door and Poe knocked. He waited patiently for her to answer or open the door but nothing came. He knocked again, this time a little harder, maybe she was cleaning up and she didn't hear him.

Leia couldn't wait for him to come to his own conclusion and spoke up. "Poe, did Rey not tell you that she was leaving?"

Poe and Finn turned to look at her. "What do you mean leaving? She wouldn't leave us without saying anything." Poe was a little unnerved. "She is not gone, she is probably just in her room." He knocked again and when no answer came he had BB-8 open her door.

Inside was dark and empty. The few things she did have were gone and her bed was bare, except a piece of paper. Poe picked up the paper and saw that it was addressed to him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and started to read.

"Poe,

I wasn't sure if I would be able to tell you in person so please forgive me. I am leaving ahead to our next location. It is for everyone's safety that I am not around. I did not want to part on these terms but I fear I have no other choice. Please do not come after me. We will see each other in a few weeks' time and by then hopefully it will be safer for me to be around.

Rey"

Poe stood in silence for a moment, trying to process what just happened. Finn walked over and read the letter from over Poe's shoulder. When he was finished he looked at his friend waiting for a response. Leia walked in and watched the young man hang his head.

"Poe, are you okay?" Leia and Finn continued to look at Poe. Finally Poe turned around, hurt in his eyes.

"This doesn't make any sense. Why would she leave and not say anything to any of us?" Poe couldn't just stand there, he needed some answers. He stormed past the others, out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Finn asked, following after him.

"I am going to talk to Rey." He marched into the communications room and called the new base. He waited for someone to pick up. "Can I have a moment to talk to her alone please?"

Everyone listened and dispersed from the room. He waited and when someone did answer he immediately demanded to talk to Rey. After a few long minutes Rey came into focus and answered. "Hello? Poe?"

"I'm here." He clenched his teeth. She was beautiful as always but he was mad and tried his best to ignore the way she looked at him. "Why did you leave? You didn't even say anything. I was looking for you, _we_ were looking for you."

"Poe I'm sor-"

"I was right there with you yesterday, you were literally on your way onto the ship when I stopped you, you could have said something to me then. But you didn't." Poe tried to hold back his anger but it wasn't working.

"Poe please, I needed to do something. I talked to General Organa about it and we thought that if I-"

"You talked to the General about this?" His voice cracked.

"She is my mentor and she is the only one I felt I could go to about this." Her voice was breaking too.

"I am supposed to be the person you go to about these things. Hell, I still don't even know why you are gone. We are supposed to trust each other and confide in each other. How can I do that when you go to others before you come to me? That is even if you decide to come to me." They both had tears streaming down their faces now.

"I…I.." Speechless Rey closed her eyes. He had a point. Why didn't she go to him about this in the first place? She trusted him with her live and her body but why not the connection she shares with Kylo Ren? "I'm sorry Poe, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know you didn't, maybe we should take some time apart and rethink us." He said.

"I don't want time apart Poe!" She said quickly. Rey felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her chest.

"You obviously did Rey. Otherwise you would still be here by my side. You would have talked to me instead of running away. Two weeks. I will be there in two weeks and we can go from there." Poe said calmly. But inside he wasn't calm. His heart was breaking with every word he said.

Rey was defeated. She didn't know what to say to change his mind and she wasn't sure she wanted to. Maybe some to think about why she wouldn't go to him with any of this stuff was what she needed. "Okay" She swallowed. "Two weeks." With that the connection was cut.

Poe sunk down to the floor, putting his head between his hands.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Please comment and review and let me know how I am doing. I'd like to get everyone's feedback, whether it is about the story or the writing please let me know. As always, have a nice day/night.


	13. An Unfamiliar Ache

An Unfamiliar Ache

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own or have anything to do with Star Wars.

A/N: So this chapter leads into the events of The Rise of Skywalker. From here on the story will tie in with the events of the movie to a point. I will be changing some things to move my story along.

* * *

It had been a few days since they last talked and Poe wasn't doing too well. He hadn't been able to eat or sleep right. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her face and whenever he tried to eat his stomach would start to ache.

"You look like crap buddy." Finn said sitting down next to him. They were waiting for a briefing to start and they were some of the first to arrive.

"Thanks." Poe huffed.

"You still haven't tried to talk to her, have you?" His friend inquired.

"No, we agreed on two weeks so I am going to wait two weeks." He said with determination. Finn stared at him in disbelieve. He loved Rey and Poe. They were his best friends but he didn't understand why the two felt like not talking about what was going on was the best idea.

"Look at yourself! You are not doing okay, and Rey is probably not much better. Why couldn't you guys just talk it out?" Finn tried to get Poe to see reason but his tries were mute.

"It's hard to see the one you love go to someone else when they have troubles or doubts. I am right here and I would do anything for her. If this thing is really that bad that she felt like she had to runaway to protect us she should have come to me. I would have been there for her." Poe noticed more people filing in and attempted to keep him voice down. "I am hoping that the two weeks will help me think of what to say to her when I see her next and it will help her understand that I will always be there for her, no matter what."

"Are you sure that this is how you want to do that? I mean wouldn't actually being there with her prove your point and cut out unwanted conflict between you too?" Finn leaned in closer and gave his friend a nudge.

"Maybe your right but the briefing is starting so let's table this for some other time shall we?" They sat up strait and brought their attention to General Organa.

"One of our contacts has evidence that suggest that there is an informant in the First Order. Poe you are going to take a crew to get this evidence before our contact is caught. Stay after and I will go over the details with you." Poe nodded and silently said thanks for the distraction. Maybe this will help the two weeks go by faster.

* * *

"I feel like I am going insane. All I have been doing is training and meditating and even though the dreams have slowed they haven't stopped." Time was moving slowly for Rey. She was working hard every day, doing her best to become stronger. It had been a little over two weeks since she had come to the new base, but it felt like a year. She was doing all she could to keep her mind off of a certain pilot but it just made her long for him even more.

"You have to be patient Rey. It can take years to master your abilities and for some it can take their whole lives." Leia said. Everyone started to arrive the past few days and Leia was one of the first to come. She was worried about her student and wanted to make sure that she was keeping up with her training. "And we now know that Kylo hasn't been able to sense were you are, you can go out on missions."

Rey didn't know how to tell Leia that she didn't want to go out on any missions. During her training she started to notice that she was becoming more violent. The part that scared her the most is that she liked the feeling. It was fast and fleeting but the feeling was there and it was dark. She knew that until she learned to control her power it was not safe for anyone that was with her, especially if they were on a mission and she lost control.

"I think it would be better if I stayed and trained more. I have so much more to learn and I have to become stronger than Kylo Ren." Rey sat down opening one of the Jedi scripts she had. They were looking for a mediation technique that Luke had learned from an old Jedi master.

"Okay if that is what you think is best. Have you talked to Poe yet?" Leia asked changing the subject.

"Um..no. He was here briefly but left for that mission to retrieve that last piece of information from a contact. Although He did try to find me but I kind of avoided him. I don't know how talk to him. After what happened I feel like he hates me. I just didn't want him to tell me that he doesn't want to be with me anymore." Rey said quietly. She had imagined a conversation with him over and over again but it never ended the way she had hoped. She just couldn't bear to have _the_ talk with him.

"Rey you need to trust in yourself and follow your heart. You love him, so go talk to him. He needs to know how you feel." As always Leia was right. She just needed to get over herself.

"What would I do without you master?" Rey laughed and Leia smiled.

"You don't need me for advice Rey, you just need to trust yourself." Leia said standing up and walking toward the door. "There is a little droid sitting out here waiting for you, I suggest that you take a break and go pay some attention to it." She laughed as she walked out.

Rey giggled knowing full well BB-8 was waiting for her. He insisted on coming over and staying with her while Poe, Finn and Chewy took the Falcon on a mission. They hadn't seen each other in weeks and he was super happy to spend time with her. She missed him too of course and enjoyed talking to him.

"All right BB, why don't we go for a walk? I need to stretch my legs for the training course this afternoon." Rey started on their walk with a gleeful droid behind her.

* * *

"You should have been out there with us." Poe stated bitterly.

"I want to but you know I can't right now." Rey countered.

"Why can't you? You're here training. For what? You're the best fighter we have. We need you. Out there, not here." He said and then sighed and walked away. Rey turned to Finn.

"It's true." Finn said not really wanting to upset his friend. "We need you. He needs you." Rey's shoulders slumped a little and she closed her eyes and hung her head.

"Is he doing okay?" She asked. The guys just came back from their mission. From what Finn had told her it was somewhat of a success but one look at the Millennium Falcon would have said differently. Poe and Rey had gotten into a brief argument about the fact that she should have been out there with them. She knew that what he said had more than one meaning.

"He will be better once you talk to him." Finn gave her a hug. "Come on we got a message from the spy."

* * *

Rey had let Finn lead her to the meeting. Everyone was gathering in a circle, waiting for information from Poe. When he said that somehow Palpatine was alive everything in Rey started to shake. Words of cloning and the sith were making their way around the growing group, everyone wanted to know what was going on. It was when a planet named Exegol was mentioned that Rey bolted to one of the books Luke had been writing in.

She asked to talk to Leia and informed her that Luke had been looking for Exegol. The only thing stopping him was that he needed a sith way finder. After some persistence on Rey's end, they had agreed that she would go to the forbidden desert of Pasaana. It was the last place Luke had looked for it and it was the best chance she had to finding the object.

Rey was getting ready to leave when Poe came up to her. He informed her that he, Finn, and Chewy were coming with her. BB-8 and C3PO decided to join them as well. She tried her best to get them to stay but they had all refused.

Rey said goodbye to Leia. She didn't want to let go of her, there was a feeling yelling at her to stay but Rey knew what she had to do.

Now she was walking through the crowd at the festival being held in the desert. Poe had suggested that they split up but he stayed by her side, never straying too far. "So, how have you been?" He tried.

"It's been fine." She kept her answer short. Things were still very awkward between them and Rey didn't know how to approach things with him.

There was laughter in the air and children squealing in delight. She started to tap her fingers on her thigh as they walked. Poe caught her hand and stopped her. "Rey, can we talk please?" He asked, making sure he was in her line of view.

Rey looked down at their hands but didn't pull away. "Aren't we talking now?" She asked quietly.

"I want to talk about us. I'm sorry I got upset with you when I got back from the last mission. I didn't mean to get upset." He slowly started their walk again, tugging her along until she followed on her own.

"It's okay, I get it. Trust me I do." Rey swallowed in understanding.

"I tried to find you before I left." Poe turned to her. He desperately wanted to see what she was thinking.

"I know." She bit her lip. Rey decided that she needed to tell him the truth. It wasn't fair to him and even though it might break them at least he would know. She started with something little. "I was avoiding you."

Poe's eyes widened but he didn't seem shocked. "I had a feeling, but why?"

"I-I was afraid." She mumbled.

"Of what?"

"I was afraid that you had realized that you don't want me anymore. That you wanted to end us permanently." Rey let out a silent breath. That was one confession down.

"What! I may have been mad but I don't think I could ever do that. Especially because of one fight. You might not fully realize it now but I love you and I am not going to take that back easily." He leaned down to her ear. "I'm never going to stop loving you Rey."

She blushed and opened her mouth to say something when a small female alien walked up to her. Finn called over to Poe and he politely excused himself. The girl placed a beaded necklace around her neck and introduced herself as Nambi Ghima.

* * *

A/N: Hey Everyone! Sorry it's been a while. I have had a major case of writer's block when it comes to this story, but fear not I am back and I have new chapters for you. I know this one is short and there is not much Rey and Poe moments but there will be plenty more in the next chapter and it will be longer too. As always, thank you so much for your support and understanding. If you are enjoying the story please leave a review. Feedback is always welcome.


	14. The Aftermath

The Aftermath

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Star wars or of its characters.

A/N: So this chapter is going to pick up after the battle on Exegol. And for the sake of my story, Zorri and Poe do have a history but there was no flirting between them when the gang is in Kijimi and Ben and Rey do not kiss. Everything else is pretty much the same. Now on to the story.

* * *

Cheers and tears of happiness filled the air. They had just won against the final Order and were now back at base, healing their wounds and mourning their losses. Finn and Poe were making their way through the crowd, watching their friends reunite.

"You did see her right?" Poe asked. Finn had told him that he had felt Rey die. Everything was happening so fast that he didn't have time to process the heart breaking news. Before he knew it, they had spotted Luke's X-wing rising from the planet. The only one who could have flown it was Rey and Finn confirmed his suspicions, announcing that she was alive.

Somewhere along the way back to the base they had lost track of her X-wing. While everyone was rejoicing about their win, Poe was looking for Rey. She was the only one who hadn't made it back yet and he was beyond worried. He knew that they had things to talk about but right now all he wanted was to know that she was safe and in his arms.

"Yeah it was definitely her, I felt it. She was right next to us when we left. She should have been here by now." Finn looked up at the sky and then back at his friend. Poe's eyes were searching the crowd, the sky and then the emptying ships. His arm was in a sling but it didn't slow his movements, he still pushed through everyone. Poe was stopped by a pilot, who wanted to have a conversation with him. He trying so hard to focus on what the young man was saying that he almost missed the old X-wing landing.

Poe looked over at Finn and smiled. The two made their way to the young woman climbing out of the beat up ship.

…

BB-8 was the first one to greet her. Rey let her hands check his antenna and any damage that might have befallen him on the dangerous mission. The little droid chirped happily, glad to see her. She stood and made her way through the cluster of people who were gathering. BB followed her, watching as hands clasped on Rey's shoulders.

Rey wasn't paying attention to them though. She saw two men making their way to her and mimicked their movement. The minute they were close enough she lunged into their arms. The three held tight to one another.

When they let go Poe got a good look at her. She was covered in cuts, bruises and plenty of blood. He lifted his uninjured arm and touched her forehead where the blood was the thickest. "I was worried about you." He said, his eyes never leaving the gash.

"I know." Rey replied. She brought her hand up to clasp his fingers in her own. "That ship is not as fast as it used to be." She tried to joke but realized she missed her mark when the two men standing in front of her frowned.

"I thought you were dead. Boy, am I glad to be wrong!" Finn exclaimed. Rey's face fell and her head bowed slightly.

"You weren't wrong Finn." She said, not wanting to look up at them. The fingers in her hand stilled and she knew that Poe was now looking her up and down for more than just scrapes and bruises.

"How?" Finn questioned. If she died how was she standing here in front of them?

"I'm not sure if I am ready to explain all of that right now. I will tell you but first I need to see Leia." Rey looked over to the spot where they hugged before their recent adventure.

"Rey, Leia is-" Poe started but she cut him off.

"I know, I felt it. I just need to see." She looked up at him and tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Okay, I'll take you." Poe grabbed her hand and watched as she nodded her head.

"I'm sorry Rey. I have to talk to Janna but I will see you guys later." Finn placed a hand on each of his friend's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. He left, leaving Poe and Rey alone.

"Come on. She is over here." Poe led her to where Leia had laid. When they got there he noticed that the sheet that was covering her body was now laying over the flat surface. His mood went from sorrow to livid. "What? I don't understand. She should be here. This is- this is where I left her. Someone must have moved her. They better have a damn good-" Rey lifted the hand that was not in his and placed it on Poe's cheek.

"It's okay. No one moved her. The same thing happened to Ben and it happened to Luke too. They are now one with the force." She looked into his eyes. "I hoped to say goodbye but I have a feeling that we will meet again." Leaning up, she kissed his lips, defusing his anger.

When they parted, Poe released her hand and cupped the back of her head, bringing her back to his lips. "I have lost so much to this war but I refuse to lose you too." He said against her mouth. The kiss broke and he held her to him as much as he could with one arm.

"You're not going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere without you ever again." She snaked her arms around his neck and tucked her head under his chin. "I love you."

Poe smiled and tightened his grip on her. He turned his head to kiss the side of her head. "I love you too." He said into the shell of her ear.

* * *

"So General Dameron what do you want to know?" Rey asked. It had been hours since their reunion and everyone was celebrating in their own different ways. Poe and Rey took this time to be alone. She was sitting on his bed with a wet cloth, trying to rid her arms of dried blood.

Poe noticed her struggle and gently took the cloth from her hand and sat down beside her. He started on her arm and asked her what happened. He was surprised when she agreed.

"Why did you run away after your fight with Kylo Ren?" He glanced at her face for a moment and then went back to her arm. Even with one hand he was making fast work at the cut.

"I couldn't control my anger. With every swing of the light saber I felt myself slipping. I almost killed him." She looked down at her hands. She remembered how it felt running the saber through the man, she didn't like the feeling but she didn't hate it either.

"You did it to protect yourself. He was going to hurt you." Poe tried to reassure her.

"That's the thing. I don't think he was. He just wanted me to go with him. I was the one who attacked him after he destroyed the sith way finder. I was so focused on trying to prove that I could be a Jedi that I let him get to me." Her hands balled into fists and she bit her lip. "It was when I nearly killed him that I felt Leia die. She was trying to reach him and I felt it too late. That's when a thought had popped into my head. '_As long as I am around the people I love get hurt or die_'. I couldn't let that happen again." She looked at him, his face full with understanding.

"Rey, what we do is dangerous and we know what we are getting into when we sign up. I lost a dear friend today and I almost lost you too. I would rather spend a short time with you than a life time without you." He stated not looking at her. He finished his work and got off the bed, walking over to the sink and rinsing out the cloth.

"I know. Luke helped me realize that I can't run from everything just because I don't like the truth. And I guess that brings me to the next matter." She waited until he was back at her side. Poe lifted the cloth to her temple and started to wipe the blood away, most of the cuts were already healed up. He put it on the list of things he wanted to ask her.

"My parents sold me to save my life. Palpatine Sent Ochi to find me but when he couldn't get them to tell him where I was he killed them." Rey paused, waiting for Poe to say something. When he noticed this he let his hand fall into his lap.

"I know that part. Finn had discovered that Palpatine wanted you alive from D-O." Poe lifted the cloth back up to her forehead and finished what was left.

"Oh well that wasn't the worst part. The reason why he wanted me was because I-I am his granddaughter." She didn't like the taste in her mouth. She wasn't even sure if her worst night mares came close to that statement.

Poe was speechless. She wanted him to say something, literally anything but his lips were pursed together. She took it as a sign to finish talking before he ran out of the room.

"He wanted me to kill him and become empress. He said that all of the sith would reside within me and I would carry on his legacy. But I wouldn't do it. Ben helped me fight him but after everything I died. What Finn felt was real, it did happen. One minute I was laying there and everything was cold." Rey wrapped her arms around herself. "And then I was in Ben's arms and everything was getting warmer. He gave me his life force so I could live but it was too much and he died."

Poe set down the cloth and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his lap. "It's okay, it's all over."

"I don't think it will ever really be over but at least I can try to move on. I may have his blood but I will never take his name." She said jaw clenched. Suddenly she relaxed as she thought of something. "I was thinking I could take the Skywalker name. They were like my family, all of them. I want to carry on their legacy."

"You should. Leia would have loved it." Poe kissed the corner of her mouth, making her bring her attention entirely to him.

"How is your arm? I can't believe that I haven't even asked about it before. I am being a terrible friend." Everything was happened so fast that she forgot all about his injury.

"A friend?" He smirked. After everything friends was the last thing he wanted to be.

"I..I'm not really sure wh-" Rey started but stopped herself. "I… the thing I was keeping from you before was that I was having these visions. It was some sort of link between me and Ren. They were really bad and I was afraid to say anything to anyone. Leia was the only one who knew and she was trying to help me. He was tracking me through these visions and so we came up with a plan to make sure we wouldn't be able to. It worked while I was here but when we set off to Passana it started to happen again. I should have told you and because I didn't I was afraid that I had lost us."

Poe gently slid her off of him and stood from his spot on the bed. Rey wanted to say something but when she worked up the nerve to look at him she immediately regretted it. His hand was combing through his hair and he was pacing back and forth. Poe's eyes were on the floor never lifting up to meets hers.

He was thinking. He wasn't sure what to say to her, how to explain how he felt. The irony was not lost on him that the one time he needed to find the words, he didn't have any. Poe stopped his movements and stood in front of the young woman.

Rey stood to meet his eyes. "Poe I-" Poe smashed his lips against hers, hard enough to bruise her skin. He pulled her to him with force. Rey's eyes closed and she grabbed onto his arms, forgetting his injury. He pulled away in pain and she jumped back when he moaned. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." He gritted his teeth as a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

"Here let me." Rey put her hands around his wound and slowed her breaths. Poe stayed very still, not quite sure what to do. A few seconds later his pain started to go away. Rey stepped back and gave him some space. Poe unwrapped the bandages and sling. His arm was completely healed. "How does it feel?" Rey bit her lip, swollen from their kiss.

"Much better. Thank you." He moved his arm around in circles. When he was satisfied by his range of movement he let it fall back to his side. "Thank you for telling me all that."

"You deserved to know when it was going on but since I can't go back and change it, I want you to know now. From now on you will be the first to know everything. I promise." Rey rocked back on the heels of her feet until she started to get light headed. Helping Poe out had caused her to get a migraine.

She started to undo the knots her hair had been held up in. Letting her hair fall down her shoulders, she combed her fingers through her hair. The pressure started to ease up as she massaged her head. Poe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and let his hand stay there.

"I would have understood if you told me before you know. But if I haven't made it pretty clear yet I will now, I have no intentions of going back to before. I want you. I don't want you three out of seven days a week. I don't want part of you. I want all of you, everyone single minute of every single day." He smiled when her eyes shot straight to his, with a smile that now mirrored his own.

"I was always yours." Rey closed the space between them and kissed him softly. Poe returned it with a tender one of his own. His fingers laced themselves into her hair as her hands found their way to the front of his jumper.

Laughter bubbled in her throat and Poe broke away. "What's so funny?" He asked with a smile. Rey smiled bright and looked at him from head to toe. "What?"

"You know you look funny in that flight suit." Rey chuckled. Poe looked down at the orange material.

"Not my color?" He laughed. "You know these are meant to keep us safe not help us win any beauty pageants."

"And I am very thankful for that but I think you need to get out of that before I can even consider you sexy again." She mused, kicking off her shoes.

Poe pretended to be hurt. "This doesn't do it for you?" He asked slowly undoing the front of the suit. Rey walked over to him and kissed his jaw.

She hummed her kisses down to his exposed collar bone. "To be honest, everything you wear does it for me. I just needed an excuse to get you out of those clothes." She pulled on the jumper and nipped at the sensitive flesh on his neck.

"If that was all you wanted you could have just asked. I would have gotten out of this a lot faster." He said quickening his pace.

"Good." Rey breathed. "I thought this was going to take forever." They both smiled and Rey started to get undressed.

"We have all night, we don't need to rush you know." He discarded his clothes and walked her to the bed.

"I know." She followed his lead and fell next to him on the bed. They both laid there in their underwear. She perched herself on her elbows, head cocked at an angle that exposed her neck to the man across from her. "I just want to be with you, in your arms. You know, now that we have a moment to slow down, I could really use a shower."

Rey got up and walked over to the bathroom. Poe looked up from his bed and gave her a raised eye brow. She disappeared and Poe could hear the water being turned on. A few seconds later a slender arm peaked through the doorway, dropping the material that had seconds ago been on her body. "Well are you coming?" She asked with a sultry tone. She didn't have to ask again, Poe was up in an instant, throwing his undergarments in the pile with her.

* * *

A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review and let me know what you think. Feedback, as always, is more than welcome.


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